Richard SandomirMark Goodman
Did you know?
We know exactly how old yahoo is because its debut in print also marked its entrance into the English language as a whole. Yahoo began life as a made-up word invented by Jonathan Swift in his book Gulliver's Travels, which was published in 1726. On his fourth and final voyage of the book, Lemuel Gulliver is marooned on an island that is the home of the Houyhnhnms, a species of intelligent, civilized horses who share their land with and rule over the Yahoos, a species of brutes with the form and vices of humans. These Yahoos represented Swift's view of humankind at its lowest. It is not surprising, then, that yahoo came to be applied to any actual human who was particularly unpleasant or unintelligent.
Examples of yahoo in a Sentence
Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 15 May 2025
Parties that are unpopular or followed by just a few yahoos, such as the odious right-wing National Democratic Party, do not rise to the level of banning.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 13 May 2025
Not just yahoos wearing horns and taking selfies in the Capitol building, but putting actual brigades in the field, with artillery.
—arkansasonline.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Some work for the media, and others are just flat-out yahoos with a cellphone connection and a full tank of gas.
—Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 21 July 2024
Once these yahoos were kicked out of the building, Congress calmly affirmed Mr. Biden’s election.
—Tom McClintock, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024
Is there something more sinister in the making or just luck of the draw by what many suspect are ultra-right-wing yahoos who hide in the shadows?
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Would a truly great actor have to succumb to kick-ass yahoo entertainments?
—Armond White, National Review, 1 Sep. 2023
On the plus side, this augured fewer yahoos in powerboats to contend with as the Hudson narrowed, beyond Haverstraw.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“Yahoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yahoo. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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