Adjacent Words

Yes definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

YES, adv. A word which expresses affirmation or consent; opposed to no; as, are you married, madam? Yes. It is used like yea, to enforce by repetition or addition, something which precedes. You have done all this; yes, you have done more.
Yes, you despise the man to books confind.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an affirmative; "I was hoping for a yes" [ant: no]

Merriam Webster's

I. adverb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English g?se Date: before 12th century 1. — used as a function word to express assent or agreement <are you ready? Yes, I am> 2. — used as a function word usually to introduce correction or contradiction of a negative assertion or direction <don't say that! Yes, I will> 3. — used as a function word to introduce a more emphatic or explicit phrase 4. — used as a function word to indicate uncertainty or polite interest or attentiveness II. noun Date: 1712 an affirmative reply ; yea

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adv. & n. --adv. 1 equivalent to an affirmative sentence: the answer to your question is affirmative, it is as you say or as I have said, the statement etc. made is correct, the request or command will be complied with, the negative statement etc. made is not correct. 2 (in answer to a summons or address) an acknowledgement of one's presence. --n. an utterance of the word yes. Phrases and idioms: say yes grant a request or confirm a statement. yes? 1 indeed? is that so? 2 what do you want? yes and a form for introducing a stronger phrase (he came home drunk -- yes, and was sick). yes and no that is partly true and partly untrue. yes-man (pl. -men) colloq. a weakly acquiescent person. Etymology: OE gese, gise, prob. f. gia sie may it be (gia is unrecorded)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Yes Yes, adv. [OE. yis, [yogh]is, [yogh]es, [yogh]ise, AS. gese, gise; probably fr. ge['a] yea + sw[=a] so. [root]188. See Yea, and So.] Ay; yea; -- a word which expresses affirmation or consent; -- opposed to no. Note: Yes is used, like yea, to enforce, by repetition or addition, something which precedes; as, you have done all this -- yes, you have done more. ``Yes, you despise the man books confined.'' --Pope. Note: ``The fine distinction between `yea' and `yes,' `nay' and `no,' that once existed in English, has quite disappeared. `Yea' and `nay' in Wyclif's time, and a good deal later, were the answers to questions framed in the affirmative. `Will he come?' To this it would have been replied, `Yea' or `Nay', as the case might be. But, `Will he not come?' To this the answer would have been `Yes' or `No.' Sir Thomas More finds fault with Tyndale, that in his translation of the Bible he had not observed this distinction, which was evidently therefore going out even then, that is, in the reign of Henry VIII.; and shortly after it was quite forgotten.'' --Trench.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. You use yes to give a positive response to a question. 'Are you a friend of Nick's?'—'Yes.'... 'You actually wrote it down, didn't you?'—'Yes.'... Will she say yes when I ask her out? ? no CONVENTION 2. You use yes to accept an offer or request, or to give permission. 'More wine?'—'Yes please.'... 'Will you take me there?'—'Yes, I will.'... 'Can I ask you something?'—'Yes, of course.' ? no CONVENTION 3. You use yes to tell someone that what they have said is correct. 'Well I suppose it is based on the old lunar months isn't it.'—'Yes that's right.'... 'That's a type of whitefly, is it?'—'Yes, it is a whitefly.' ? no CONVENTION 4. You use yes to show that you are ready or willing to speak to the person who wants to speak to you, for example when you are answering a telephone or a knock at your door. He pushed a button on the intercom. 'Yes?' came a voice... Yes, can I help you? CONVENTION 5. You use yes to indicate that you agree with, accept, or understand what the previous speaker has said. 'A lot of people find it very difficult indeed to give up smoking.'—'Oh yes. I used to smoke nearly sixty a day.'... 'It's a fabulous opportunity.'—'Yeah. I know.' CONVENTION 6. You use yes to encourage someone to continue speaking. 'I remembered something funny today.'—'Yeah?' CONVENTION 7. You use yes, usually followed by 'but', as a polite way of introducing what you want to say when you disagree with something the previous speaker has just said. 'She is entitled to her personal allowance which is three thousand pounds of income.'—'Yes, but she doesn't earn any money.'... CONVENTION [politeness] 8. You use yes to say that a negative statement or question that the previous speaker has made is wrong or untrue. 'That is not possible,' she said. 'Oh, yes, it is!' Mrs Gruen insisted... 'I don't know what you're talking about.'—'Yes, you do.' CONVENTION 9. You can use yes to suggest that you do not believe or agree with what the previous speaker has said, especially when you want to express your annoyance about it. 'There was no way to stop it.'—'Oh yes? Well, here's something else you won't be able to stop.' CONVENTION [feelings] 10. You use yes to indicate that you had forgotten something and have just remembered it. What was I going to say. Oh yeah, we've finally got our second computer. CONVENTION 11. You use yes to emphasize and confirm a statement that you are making. He collected the £10,000 first prize. Yes, £10,000. CONVENTION [emphasis] 12. You say yes and no in reply to a question when you cannot give a definite answer, because in some ways the answer is yes and in other ways the answer is no. 'Was it strange for you, going back after such a long absence?'—'Yes and no.' CONVENTION [vagueness]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

ad. Yea, ay, aye.

Moby Thesaurus

Australian ballot, Hare system, OK, Roger, abide by, absolutely, accede, accept, acclaim, accordantly, acquiesce, acquiesce in, acquiescently, affirmative, affirmative attitude, affirmatively, affirmativeness, agree, agree to, agree with, agreeably, agreed, all right, alright, alrighty, amen, applaud, approvingly, as you say, assent, assentingly, assuredly, aye, ballot, beyond a doubt, buy, by all means, canvass, canvassing, casting vote, certainly, cheer, compliantly, comply, consent, consentingly, counting heads, cumulative voting, da, deciding vote, division, enfranchisement, exactly, fagot vote, favorably, fine, franchise, give the nod, gladly, good, good enough, graveyard vote, hail, hand vote, hear, hold with, in toto, indeed, indeedy, ja, just so, list system, mais oui, most assuredly, naturally, naturellement, nay, no, nod, nod assent, nod of assent, nontransferable vote, of course, okay, oui, plebiscite, plebiscitum, plumper, plural vote, poll, polling, positively, precisely, preferential voting, proportional representation, proxy, quite, rather, really, receive, record vote, referendum, representation, right, right to vote, righto, rising vote, say, secret ballot, show of hands, single vote, snap vote, straw vote, subscribe, subscribe to, suffrage, sure, sure thing, surely, take kindly to, thumbs-up, to be sure, transferable vote, truly, undoubtedly, unquestionably, very well, viva voce, voice, voice vote, vote, vote for, voting, voting right, welcome, well and good, why yes, willingly, write-in, write-in vote, yea, yea-saying, yeah, yeas and nays, yep, yes indeed, yes indeedy, yes sir, yes sirree, yield assent