yuck
interj.interj. something you say to show that you think something is disgusting or tastes bad. It is a quick way to express that you do not like something at all.
interj. an exclamation used to express strong distaste, disgust, or revulsion. Often used as a standalone utterance in response to unpleasant sensory stimuli.
Yuck, this milk smells like it has gone bad.
The children looked at the plate of steamed vegetables and shouted 'yuck' in unison.
While some find the pungent aroma of durian fruit enticing, others can barely suppress a reflexive 'yuck' the moment the thick skin is breached.
Perhaps imitative. Akin to Dutch jakkes (“disgusting”). First appeared in the 1960s. Compare also Scots yeuk (“anything that disgusts”), Middle English yuke (“an itchy skin disease" akin to middle Dutch "joke" and modern Dutch "jeuk"”) .
1930s theatrical slang, probably Imitative. Compare the variant yuk.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Typically used as a standalone exclamation or as a predicate adjective after 'be' in very informal speech.
Last updated May 9, 2026