English Reference
interjection · particle

yeah

interj. · part.
US /ˈjæ/ UK /jˈɛh/ yeah

  1. 01 A1 Beginner Informal

    interj.an informal way to say 'yes' when you agree or answer a question.

    interj.an informal affirmative response used to express agreement or to answer in the positive.

    Simple

    "Are you coming to the party tonight?" "Yeah, I'll be there around eight."

    In context

    When asked if the project would be completed by the end of the week, he simply replied with a casual 'yeah'.

    Pitfall
    Yeah, I will attend the formal board meeting. Yes, I will attend the formal board meeting.

    Avoid using 'yeah' in formal writing or professional business contexts; use 'yes' instead.

  2. 02 A2 Elementary Informal

    part.a word you say to show you understand or are listening to someone.

    part.a discourse marker used to signal active listening or to acknowledge information without necessarily expressing strong agreement.

    Simple

    "So then I told him..." "Yeah." "...that we couldn't go."

    In context

    She peppered the conversation with frequent 'yeahs' to indicate she was following his complex explanation of the software update.

    I seeokayright

Etymology 1

Colloquial form of yea or yes. Compare nah. yes + -h.

Etymology 2

See year.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A1 · Beginner
Frequency Very common
Updated