ENGLISH
REFERENCE

yes

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈjɛs// UK //jˈɛs// yes General-service Humorous Informal Slang

n. an answer that means you agree or say 'ok' to something. You use it when you want to count how many people said they would do something.

n. an affirmative answer or decision. Often used in the plural to represent the total number of votes in favour of a proposal.


SIMPLE

We received ten yeses and only two nos.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee counted the yeses to see if the new park project had enough support to begin construction.

COMPLEX

After weeks of intense lobbying and public debate, the final tally showed a narrow majority of yeses, effectively passing the controversial legislation into law.

Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English yes, from Old English ġīese (“by all means, of course, yes”), derived from the same root as yea. Compare Faroese júsá (“yes, indeed, certainly”).

Usage

The plural is usually spelled 'yeses', though 'yesses' is an accepted variant.

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