An involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom:
— He could not suppress a yawn.
— The yawning in the audience told him it was time to stop.

synonyms: oscitance, oscitancy, yawning.

Utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired.

Roget 683: be inactive etc. adj.; do nothing etc. 681; move slowly etc. 275; let the grass grow under one's feet; take one's time, dawdle, drawl, droil^†, lag, hang back, slouch; loll, lollop^†; lounge, poke, loaf, loiter; go to sleep over; sleep at one's post, ne battre que d'une aile [Fr.].    take it easy, take things as they come; lead an easy life, vegetate, swim with the stream, eat the bread of idleness; loll in the lap of luxury, loll in the lap of indolence; waste time, consume time, kill time, lose time; burn daylight, waste the precious hours.    idle away time, trifle away time, fritter away time, fool away time; spend time in, take time in; peddle, piddle; potter, pudder^†, dabble, faddle fribble^†, fiddle-faddle; dally, dilly-dally.    sleep, slumber, be asleep; hibernate; oversleep; sleep like a top, sleep like a log, sleep like a dormouse; sleep soundly, heavily; doze, drowze^†, snooze, nap; take a nap etc. n.; dream; snore one's best; settle to sleep, go to sleep, go off to sleep; doze off, drop off; fall asleep; drop asleep; close the eyes, seal up the eyes, seal up eyelids; weigh down the eyelids; get sleep, nod, yawn; go to bed, turn; get some z's, stack z's [Coll.].    languish, expend itself, flag, hang fire; relax.    render idle etc. adj.; sluggardize^†; mitigate etc. 174.    ... show more

Roget 688: be fatigued etc. adj.; yawn etc. (get sleepy) 683; droop, sink, flag; lose breath, lose wind; gasp, pant, puff, blow, drop, swoon, faint, succumb.    fatigue, tire, weary, irk, flag, jade, harass, exhaust, knock up, wear out, prostrate.    tax, task, strain; overtask, overwork, overburden, overtax, overstrain.    ... show more

Roget 841: weary; tire etc. (fatigue) 688; bore; bore to death, weary to death, tire to death, bore out of one's skull, bore out of one's life, weary out of one's life, tire out of one's life, bore out of all patience, weary out of all patience, wear out one's patience, tire out of all patience; set to sleep, send to sleep; buttonhole.    pall, sicken, nauseate, disgust.    harp on the same string; drag its slow length along, drag its weary length along.    never hear the last of; be tired of, be sick of, be tired with etc. adj.; yawn; die with ennui.    [of journalistic articles] MEGO, my eyes glaze over.    ... show more

Dutch: geeuwen

Be wide open.

synonyms: gape, yaw.

Roget 260: open, ope^†, gape, yawn, bilge; fly open.    perforate, pierce, empierce^†, tap, bore, drill; mine etc. (scoop out) 252; tunnel; transpierce^†, transfix; enfilade, impale, spike, spear, gore, spit, stab, pink, puncture, lance, stick, prick, riddle, punch; stave in.    cut a passage through; make way for, make room for.    uncover, unclose, unrip^†; lay open, cut open, rip open, throw open, pop open, blow open, pry open, tear open, pull open.    ... show more

Dutch: gapen