yield

yield — verb

1. to produce a result, amount, or gain as a direct outcome of effort, investment,

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveC2
Definition

to produce a result, amount, or gain as a direct outcome of effort, investment, or natural growth

Example

The new irrigation system yielded a much larger rice harvest than the old one.

yield + noun phrase (crop result)

After two years of work, the research team's efforts finally yielded important results.

subject: effort/activity, object: positive result

Common collocations
  • yield results
  • yield profit
  • yield crops
  • yield data
  • yield benefits
  • yield a return
Synonyms
  • produce

    more general and neutral; works in any context

  • generate

    often used for abstract things like ideas, energy, or interest

  • return

    specifically financial; used for investments and profits

Antonyms
  • consume

    uses resources rather than producing them

  • lose

    opposite direction of gain, especially in finance

Grammar Patterns

yield + noun phrase (something positive)

yield + noun phrase + from + noun phrase

Usage Note

Formal register. Common in agriculture ('yield crops'), finance ('yield profit'), and research ('yield results'). Unlike 'produce', this sense carries an implication that the result was expected or calculated.

Common Mistakes

The experiment yielded a rare bacteria by accident.
The experiment produced a rare bacteria by accident.
'yield' is used for expected or systematic outcomes, not accidental discoveries.
Please yield three copies of the report by noon.
Please produce three copies of the report by noon.
'yield' sounds unnatural in everyday requests about documents.

2. to give up control, responsibility, or a position of power, especially because s

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to give up control, responsibility, or a position of power, especially because someone else forces you to

Example

The general refused to yield control of the fort to the advancing army.

yield + control + to + person/group

After years of legal battles, the company yielded its patent rights to the competitor.

Common collocations
  • yield power
  • yield control
  • yield authority
  • yield territory
  • yield to pressure
  • yield to demands
Synonyms
  • surrender

    stronger, often after fighting or resistance

  • concede

    admitting the other side is right; often used in arguments or competitions

  • relinquish

    more formal; letting go of something unwillingly or willingly

Antonyms
  • keep

    not give up or let go of something

  • defend

    actively protect or fight for what you have

Grammar Patterns

yield + noun phrase (control/position/land/rights) + to + noun phrase (person/group)

yield + noun phrase (without object)

Usage Note

Frequently used in political, military, and legal contexts. The pattern 'yield + noun phrase + to + person' is the most common structure. In everyday conversation, 'give up' or 'surrender' are more natural alternatives.

Common Mistakes

She yielded her seat to the elderly woman on the bus.
She gave up her seat to the elderly woman on the bus.
'yield' is too formal for everyday actions like offering a seat.
The team yielded the game in the final minute.
The team lost the game in the final minute.
'yield' is not used for losing sports matches; 'lose' or 'concede' are correct.

3. to bend, break, or give way because a physical force pushes, presses, or pulls t

3.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to bend, break, or give way because a physical force pushes, presses, or pulls too hard

Example

The old wooden bridge began to yield under the weight of the heavy truck.

yield + under + weight/pressure (physical)

The door finally yielded after Haruto pushed it with all his strength.

Common collocations
  • yield under pressure
  • yield to force
  • yield under the weight
  • yield under strain
Synonyms
  • give way

    phrasal verb, more common in everyday speech

  • collapse

    stronger, implies complete failure

  • buckle

    specifically about bending under pressure, often of metal or structures

Antonyms
  • withstand

    resist pressure without bending or breaking

  • hold

    stay in shape under load

Grammar Patterns

yield + under + noun phrase (weight/pressure)

yield + to + noun phrase (force)

Usage Note

Subject is typically a physical object under load — a bridge, door, lock, floor, or surface. Frequently used with 'under' for the pressure source or 'to' for the force applied. Not used for living things.

Common Mistakes

The chair yielded when I sat on it.
The old chair finally yielded under my weight and broke.
'yield' needs a clear pressure source and usually implies visible bending or sudden failure, not normal use.
The tree yielded in the strong wind.
The tree bent in the strong wind.
'yield' implies breaking or collapsing; 'bend' describes flexibility without failure.

4. to slow down or stop a vehicle to let another road user go first, especially whe

4.verbintransitiveA2
Definition

to slow down or stop a vehicle to let another road user go first, especially when joining a main road or at a crossing

Example

Drivers must yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk before making a turn.

yield + to + pedestrian (traffic rule)

The blue car failed to yield at the junction and nearly caused a crash.

Common collocations
  • yield to pedestrians
  • yield to traffic
  • yield to oncoming vehicles
  • yield the right of way
  • yield sign
  • fail to yield
Synonyms
  • give way

    British English equivalent; used on road signs in the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong

  • let pass

    general phrase, can be used for non-traffic situations too

Grammar Patterns

yield + to + noun phrase (person, vehicle, or animal on the road)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense STOP by its traffic-specific meaning. The driver does not always come to a full stop — slowing down to allow right-of-way is sufficient. In British and Irish English, 'give way' is the equivalent expression on road signs.

Common Mistakes

You should yield to pedestrians at any point on the road.
You must yield to pedestrians at marked crosswalks and intersections.
'yield to pedestrians' is legally specific to crossings and junctions, not anywhere on the road.
I yielded my friend at the party.
I let my friend go first at the party.
'yield' in the traffic sense only applies to vehicles and road users, not people in social situations.

yield — noun

Word family

  • yielding
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Produce is the most general word — it simply means to make or create something, with no implication of calculation or effort. Generate is common for abstract or intangible outcomes (generate interest, generate electricity) and feels somewhat technical. Yield is more formal and specific: it emphasises the measurable result of a systematic process, investment, or natural growth, and is frequently used in agriculture and finance. Return is strictly financial, referring to the gain from an investment over time (a 10% annual return). Bear has a literary or biological flavour (the tree bears fruit, the plan bore fruit). For example: 'The factory produces car parts' is neutral; 'The investment yielded a 12% profit' is formal and financial; 'The investment returned a 12% profit' is standard financial language; 'The land bears rich harvests' is literary or biblical in tone.

produce ↗generate ↗return ↗bear ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • yield results
  • yield profit
  • yield control
  • yield power
  • yield benefits
  • yield fruit
  • yield data

Adverbs

  • yield generously
  • yield reluctantly
  • yield easily
  • yield slowly
  • yield unexpectedly

Phrases

  • yield to pressure
  • yield to temptation
  • yield the floor
  • yield the right of way
  • refuse to yield

Prepositions

  • yield to
  • yield from
  • yield under

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Yield comes from Old English 'gieldan' meaning 'to pay, give, or restore'. In medieval times it was used for paying debts or tribute to a ruler. The sense of 'producing crops or profit' developed in agriculture and later in finance. The modern traffic meaning emerged in the early 20th century with road signs. Over time, 'yield' has shifted from its original sense of obligatory payment toward the broader idea of giving or producing something, whether willingly or under force.