Did you know?
Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in "a yen for a beach vacation"), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from Cantonese yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning "opium," and yáhn, "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen.
Synonyms
Examples of yen in a Sentence
Noun (2)
I have a strange yen to take the day off from work
Verb
what car lover doesn't yen for a new car at the start of every model year
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Morris, Fortune Asia, 5 Nov. 2024
Goldman has a target price of 2,200 Japanese yen ($14.50) on the stock, implying 44.3% potential upside.
—Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024
Ashes is his graduation thesis film from the Tokyo University of the Arts and was made with a budget of 1.4 million yen ($9,200).
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024
The production incentive scheme launched last year was cited as helping further boost interest in Japan with its rebate of up to 1 billion yen ($6.6 million at current rates), something that Max’s Tokyo Vice took advantage of when shooting both of its seasons in the country.
—Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for yen 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In the April-September period, Nintendo logged net profit of 108.7 billion yen ($710 million), down 60 percent from the same period a year earlier.
—Chris Morris, Fortune Asia, 5 Nov. 2024
Goldman has a target price of 2,200 Japanese yen ($14.50) on the stock, implying 44.3% potential upside.
—Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024
Ashes is his graduation thesis film from the Tokyo University of the Arts and was made with a budget of 1.4 million yen ($9,200).
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024
The production incentive scheme launched last year was cited as helping further boost interest in Japan with its rebate of up to 1 billion yen ($6.6 million at current rates), something that Max’s Tokyo Vice took advantage of when shooting both of its seasons in the country.
—Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for yen
Dictionary Entries Near yen
Cite this Entry
“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share