What does yaup mean?
Yaup is a chiefly British dialect verb meaning to bark or yelp noisily, especially as a dog does. It can also mean to speak loudly or noisily, a sense found particularly in older informal English. The word is now uncommon in standard contemporary usage, with speakers usually choosing “yap” for the barking sense and “shout” or “bawl” when describing noisy speech. Yaup belongs to an imitative group of English words whose sounds suggest the short, sharp vocal noise they describe. Its vowels and final stop suit that function particularly well. Although no longer everyday vocabulary, yaup remains useful to readers of British dialect writing and historical prose, where it conveys both a manner of barking and a distinctly forceful way of speaking.
verbTo bark or yelp noisily. In older and informal usage, it can also mean to speak loudly or noisily.
- To bark or yelp noisily.
- To speak loudly or noisily.
"The dogs began to yaup as the stranger approached the gate."
"The dogs yauped and raced around the edge of the yard."
"Stop yauping at me and answer the question properly."
Think of a dog barking: that old-fashioned “yap” with a distinctly British bark.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of yaup
Yaup is a chiefly northern British dialect form of the more familiar “yap.” These forms belong to an imitative strand of English vocabulary, using sounds that suggest the repeated cries of a dog. “Yaup” occurs in older British dialect speech and is also recorded in the sense of speaking loudly.
Related word forms
How yaup is actually used
The word is dialectal, informal, and now dated in most of Britain. Its barking sense is now chiefly associated with northern British English, while the sense meaning to speak loudly is especially characteristic of older usage.
Easily confused with yaup
Yap is the standard modern verb for barking sharply or speaking rapidly and continuously, whereas yaup is chiefly a British dialectal form with the additional sense of speaking loudly.