Definition and pronunciation
yield /jiːld/ — verb and noun with multiple meanings depending on context.
- Verb (to give way, produce, or surrender): “The farmer’s field yields corn,” “The guard yielded to force.”
- Noun (the amount produced or returned): “This stock’s annual yield is 5%,” “The crop yield was high.”
Easy explanation
To yield means to give something, produce results, or let others go first. As a noun, it means what you get back, like crops, profit, or results.
Grammatical formation
- Verb forms: yield, yields, yielded, yielding.
- Noun forms: yield (singular/plural), high yield, crop yield.
- Adjective: yielding (also meaning flexible, soft, or compliant).
- Typical phrases: yield to, yield results, yield crops, high-yield.
Meanings and nuances
- Produce or provide — to give as a natural product or result (“Trees yield fruit”).
- Surrender or give way — to give in to pressure, force, or another’s right (“He yielded to temptation,” “Yield to pedestrians”).
- Cause to produce — to bring about (“The experiment yielded useful data”).
- Profit/return — financial or business gains (“Bond yields dropped this year”).
- Compliance/softness — to bend, not resist (“The material yielded under stress”).
With prepositions and variants
- yield to someone/something (surrender, give in).
- yield from (results from) a process.
- yield of (amount produced): “yield of crops.”
- yield on investment (finance).
- yield under pressure (literal or figurative).
Common collocations
yield results, yield crops, yield returns, yield profit, yield power, yield control, yield to temptation, yield to authority, high-yield bonds, low yield, crop yield, tax yield, yield strength, yield sign, yield point
Idioms and neighboring expressions
yield the floor (in debate), yield ground (retreat or concede), high-yield (finance, agriculture), low-yield, yield to none (unmatched), yield under pressure, “if it yields, it bends but doesn’t break”
Word comparisons
- yield vs produce: produce is neutral; yield often implies effort or a process.
- yield vs give in: yield can mean surrender, but give in is more emotional/personal.
- yield vs submit: submit suggests obedience; yield can be reluctant or voluntary.
- yield vs profit/return: yield is more technical in finance.
- yield vs sacrifice: sacrifice implies loss; yield may be neutral or beneficial.
Real-life examples
- “The experiment yielded surprising results.”
- “Cornfields yielded a record harvest this year.”
- “He yielded to pressure and resigned.”
- “Investors looked for high-yield opportunities.”
- “Drivers must yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk.”
Sample sentences
- “The soil yielded a rich harvest.”
- “She yielded to his advice.”
- “The bond yields 4% annually.”
- “Please yield the floor to the next speaker.”
- “He refused to yield his position.”
- “The negotiations yielded little progress.”
- “Steel yields under extreme heat.”
- “The yield of rice increased this season.”
- “He yielded to temptation despite warnings.”
- “Traffic must yield at this junction.”
Synonyms
produce, provide, generate, give, surrender, concede, submit, grant, deliver, return, output
Antonyms
resist, oppose, deny, withhold, retain, fight, reject, defy, withstand
Related terms
output, production, harvest, profit, return on investment, surrender, concession, compliance, yield sign, yield strength, high-yield bonds, low-yield crops
Connection to sexuality
Yield itself is not a sexual word, but in certain contexts (like “yield to desire” or “yield to temptation”) it can carry romantic or erotic undertones. The core meaning remains about giving in, producing, or allowing.
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