yet

1 of 2

adverb

ˈyet 

1

a

: in addition : besides

gives yet another reason

b

: even sense 1b

a yet higher speed

c

: on top of everything else : no less

had wells going dry. Between two large lakes, yet

—J. H. Buzard

2

a(1)

: up to now : so far

hasn't done much yet

—often used to imply the negative of a following infinitive

have yet to win a game

(2)

: at this or that time : so soon as now

not time to go yet

b

: continuously up to the present or a specified time : still

is yet a new country

c

: at a future time : eventually

may yet see the light

3

: nevertheless, however

yet

2 of 2

conjunction

: but nevertheless : but

Phrases

as yet

: up to the present or a specified time

there are as yet few clues

—Sharon Kingman

yet again

: one more time

arrived late yet again

Synonyms

Adverb

• eventually
• finally
• someday
• sometime
• sooner or later
• ultimately

Conjunction

• but
• except
• excepting
• only
• saving

Examples of yet in a Sentence

Adverb

His latest novel is his best one yet.

I haven't read the book yet.

Has the mail arrived yet?

It's not time to eat yet.

“Are you ready?” “No, not yet.”

We don't yet know what their plans are.

Their suggestions won't be implemented, at least not yet.

We don't have a firm grasp of the situation yet.

Conjunction

it feels like summer, yet according to the calendar we're still in early spring

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Now comes perhaps his biggest challenge yet: Taking over a San Jose Earthquakes team that finished last in the entire league and gave up the most goals (78) in MLS history. —Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

And yet, four months later, USC and UCLA both sit at 4-5, and the Bruins – at 3-4 – suddenly sit higher than USC in their first year in the Big Ten. —Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 11 Nov. 2024

The highly competitive 8th District had not yet been created so no comparison is available. —Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024

But it’s not yet known whether there’s a limit to how varied and complicated these patterns can get. —Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from Old English gīet; akin to Old Frisian ieta yet

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Conjunction

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing yet

• early days (yet)
• just yet
• the best is yet to come/be

Kids Definition

yet

1 of 2 adverb

(ˈ)yet 

1

a

: in addition : besides

gives yet another reason

b

: even entry 3 sense 4

a yet higher speed

2

a

: up to now : so far

hasn't done much yet

b

: at this time : so soon as now

not time to go yet

c

: still entry 3 sense 2

is yet a new country

d

: at a later time

may yet see the light

3

: nevertheless

strong, yet not strong enough

yet

2 of 2 conjunction

: despite that fact : but

bought more milk yet it was not enough for everyone