Word
yoke
US/ˈjoʊk/
UK/jˈəʊk/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a heavy wooden bar put over the necks of animals so they can pull a cart together. It is also used to describe something that takes away your freedom or makes your life very difficult.
n. a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or vehicle that they are to pull; figuratively, a burden or a symbol of oppression and servitude.
Examples
“The oxen pulled the heavy cart with a wooden yoke.”
“After decades of colonial rule, the nation finally threw off the yoke of foreign occupation to become independent.”
“The poet uses the image of a heavy iron yoke to represent the psychological burden of debt that weighed down the working class during the industrial revolution.”
Examples
simple
“The oxen pulled the heavy cart with a wooden yoke.”
contextual
“After decades of colonial rule, the nation finally threw off the yoke of foreign occupation to become independent.”
complex
“The poet uses the image of a heavy iron yoke to represent the psychological burden of debt that weighed down the working class during the industrial revolution.”
Usage
Often used metaphorically with verbs like 'throw off', 'break', or 'suffer under'.
Real-World Examples
“Yoked to home for the next decade, she managed, nevertheless, to become a brilliant art critic and a charismatic lecturer at the Courtauld Institute, where she stayed until retirement.” “In his new book, Turing's Mistake: Escaping the Yoke of Unintelligent Machines , Denning argues that two foundational assumptions made by Turing in 1950 continue to shape AI research today.” Etymology
From Middle English yok, yoke, ȝok from Old English ġeoc (“yoke”), from Proto-Germanic juką (“yoke”), from Proto-Indo-European yugóm (“yoke”), from *yewg- (“to join; to tie together, yoke”). Doublet of yuga, jugum, yoga and possibly yogh. Senses 3.1 (“area of arable land”) and 3.2 (“amount of work done with draught animals”) probably referred to the area of land that could generally be ploughed by yoked draught animals within a given time.
From Middle English yoken, yoke, ȝoken (“to put a harness or yoke on a draught animal or pair of such animals, to yoke; to attach (an animal to a cart, plough, etc.) with a yoke; to lock (arms) in wrestling; to bind (oneself or someone) to something”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeocian, iucian, from Old English ġeoc (“yoke”) (see etymology 1) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns).
See yolk.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C2 ProficiencyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.8.5–9.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 6.0114–120
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C2 · Proficiency
- Updated
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