yield
YEELD
/jiːld/
To give way to arguments, demands, or pressure; to produce or provide.
A highly versatile word; in the context of obedience, it means letting someone else go first or giving up resistance.
The story behind the word. From Old English gieldan (to pay, render, reward). The sense shifted from paying tribute to giving up or surrendering to an enemy.
Word relationships
- relent: Relent means to become less severe or give in, while yield is to physically or mentally give way.
- persist: Persist is to continue firmly, while yield is to stop resisting.
Commonly confused with
- produce: Produce is to make or create, while yield in this context is to give way, though it can also mean agricultural output.
Word family
- yielding (adjective): Compliant; flexible.
- unyielding (adjective): Stubborn; inflexible.
Collocations
- yield to pressure
- yield results
- yield the right of way
Example sentences
- "The driver had to yield to oncoming traffic at the circle." A standard traffic rule.
Memory hook
A yield sign on the road tells you to give way to other cars and let them go first. Yield = Give way or produce.
When not to use
Do not use when describing a highly formal military surrender; use capitulate instead.
Fun facts
- The financial sense of yield (the profit returned on an investment) comes from the original Old English meaning of paying or rendering.
Explore more words
Also appears in
- Conflict → Compromise & Concession
- Finance → Investment & Portfolio Management
- Finance → Stocks, Bonds & Derivatives
- Nature → Forestry & Agriculture
- Economic Theory & Analysis → Macroeconomic Indicators
- Economic Theory & Analysis → Monetary Policy & Central Banks
- Economic Theory & Analysis → Agrarian Economics
- Environmental Policy & Sustainability Economics → Sustainable Agriculture & Farming
- Food Science & Culinary Craft → Agricultural Supply Chains
- Food Science & Culinary Craft → Genetically Modified Organisms
- Everyday Transportation & Driving → Driving Maneuvers & Parking
- Everyday Transportation & Driving → Driver Licensing & Rules
- Agriculture & Farming → Crop Harvesting & Storage
- Agriculture & Farming → Orchards & Viticulture
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