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
Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 25 Dec. 2024
The Japanese yen dipped 0.74% to 155.94 against the greenback, hitting a one-month low.
—Dylan Butts,karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
On set-up, there are four currencies to choose from, U.S. dollar, U.K. pound, Euro and Japanese yen.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Some macro consequences of Trump’s policy — such as a comparatively weaker yen — will be a tailwind for the Japanese market, Nishihara added.
—Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 18 Dec. 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
He was sentenced to six years in prison and fined 1.8 million yen.
—Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 25 Dec. 2024
The Japanese yen dipped 0.74% to 155.94 against the greenback, hitting a one-month low.
—Dylan Butts,karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
On set-up, there are four currencies to choose from, U.S. dollar, U.K. pound, Euro and Japanese yen.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Some macro consequences of Trump’s policy — such as a comparatively weaker yen — will be a tailwind for the Japanese market, Nishihara added.
—Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 18 Dec. 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 2 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share