MEANING
To rotate from side to side around a vertical axis, often moving away from an intended heading.
Use it for
describing a boat’s bow swinging off course; distinguishing yaw from pitch or roll; showing a craft failing to hold a headingSeparates sideways rotation around a vertical axis from pitching and rolling. Writing functions: Side-to-side vessel rotation.
Words that belong together
- yaw to port
- yaw from side to side
- yaw control
On the page
The boat yawed to port as a wave struck its bow.
The pilot corrected the yaw before the nose swung farther right.
Word forms
- Base
- yaw
- Past tense
- yawed
- Past participle
- yawed
- Present participle
- yawing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- yaw
- Present continuous
- am/is/are yawing
- Present perfect
- have/has yawed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been yawing
- Past
- yawed
- Past continuous
- was/were yawing
- Past perfect
- had yawed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been yawing
- Future
- will yaw
- Future continuous
- will be yawing
- Future perfect
- will have yawed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been yawing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Verb: yaw, yaws, yawed, yawing; will yaw. Also a countable or uncountable motion noun: yaw, yaws. Register: technical. Commonness: moderately common in navigation and aviation (dictionary-informed qualitative editorial estimate; not a measured frequency).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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