yoke
UK/jəʊk/US/joʊk/
yoke noun: a bar or frame by which two oxen or other draught animals are joined at their necks enabling them to pull a cart, plough, etc.; two draught animals connected by such a yoke; (by extension) a device attached to a single draught animal for the same purpose. Also the misspelling of yolk.
Noun (1)
yoke (plural yokes)
- A bar or frame by which two oxen or other draught animals are joined at their necks enabling them to pull a cart, plough, etc.; two draught animals connected by such a yoke; (by extension) a device attached to a single draught animal for the same purpose.
- Thy seruant in walking thy pastures aboute: / for yokes, forkes and rakes, let him loke to finde oute. / And after at leyser let this be his hier: / to trimme them and make them at home by the fier.1557 February 13 (Gregorian calendar), Thomas Tusser, “Februarij”, in A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie, London: […] Richard Tottel, →OCLC; republished London: […] Robert Triphook, […], and...
- The Oxe hath therefore ſtretcht his yoake in vaine, / The Ploughman loſt his ſweat, and the greene corne / Hath rotted, ere his youth attainde a bearde: […]c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame. […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, […], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]
- Any of various linking or supporting objects that resembles a yoke (sense 1.1); a crosspiece, a curved bar, etc.
- Steam Engines. […] The valve rods are coupled by connecting-rods […] and yokes[…], to eccentrics[…].1890 July 4, “‘Engineering’ Illustrated Patent Record”, in W[illiam] H[enry] Maw, J[ames] Dredge [Jr.], editors, compiled by W. Lloyd Wise, Engineering: An Illustrated Weekly Journal, volume L...
- A pole carried on the neck and shoulders of a person, used for carrying a pair of buckets, etc., one at each end of the pole; a carrying pole.
- And whenever to rest she her buckets set down, / She jingled her yokes to and fro, / And her yokes she might jingle till morn—a rude clown, / Ere he it seem'd offered to go.1821, John Clare, “[Poems.] The Disappointment.”, in The Village Minstrel, and Other Poems, volume I, London: […] [T. Miller] for Taylor and Hessey, […]; and E[dward] Drury, […], →OCLC, stanza 5...
- The speaker, who had been carrying a pair of pails on a yoke, deposited them upon the edge of the pavement in front of the inn, and straightened his back to an excruciating perpendicular.1876, Thomas Hardy, “A Street in Anglebury—A Heath Near—Inside the ‘Old Fox Inn’”, in The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 3
- Synonyms:
- pingo, milkmaid's yoke, shoulder pole
- Any of various devices with crosspieces used to control an aircraft; specifically, the control column.
- Synonyms:
- control wheel
- A similar device used as a game controller.
- Synonyms:
- control wheel
- well-developed muscles of the neck and shoulders.
- Nothing says you're a dedicated lifter and true athlete more than a massive yoke—that is, the muscles of the neck, traps, and rear delts.2010 April, Sean Hyson, Jim Wendler, “Build an NFL Neck”, in Men’s Fitness, New York, N.Y.: American Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 73; reproduced as “The Big Yoke Workout”, in Men’s Journal, accessed 19...
- The part of an item of clothing which fits around the shoulders or the hips from which the rest of the garment hangs, and which is often distinguished by having a double thickness of material, or decorative flourishes.
- The country children thereabouts wore their dresses to their shoe-tops, but this city child was dressed in what was then called the "Kate Greenaway" manner, and her red cashmere frock, gathered full from the yoke, came almost to the floor.1913 June, Willa Sibert Cather, chapter I, in O Pioneers!, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company […], →OCLC, part I (The Wild Land), pages 11–12
- The dresses her mother made looked ugly, even obscene, for her breasts were well grown, and the yokes emphasized them, showing flattened bulges under the tight band of material; and the straight falling line of the skit was spoiled by her full hips.1952, Doris Lessing, chapter 1, in Martha Quest, London: HarperCollinsPublishers, published 1993, →ISBN, part 1, page 28
- Originally, a metal piece connecting the poles of a magnet or electromagnet; later, a part of magnetic circuit (such as in a generator or motor) not surrounded by windings (“wires wound around the cores of electrical transformers”).
- The electromagnetic coil that deflects the electron beam in a cathode ray tube.
- A Y-shaped stand used to support a blowpipe or punty while reheating in the glory hole.
- A fitting placed across the head of the rudder with a line attached at each end by which a boat may be steered; in modern use it is primarily found in sailing canoes and kayaks.
- A light whale-boat, handsomely painted, and fitted out with stern seats, yoke, tiller-ropes, &c. hung on the starboard quarter, and was used as the gig. […] The bow-man had charge of the boat-hook and painter, and the coxswain of the rudder, yoke, and stern-sheets.1840, R[ichard] H[enry] D[ana], Jr., chapter XXIII, in Two Years before the Mast. […] (Harper’s Family Library; no. CVI), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], →OCLC, page 237
- A frame or convex crosspiece from which a bell is hung.
Show 14 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- A collar placed on the neck of a conquered person or prisoner to restrain movement.
- A frame placed on the neck of an animal such as a cow, pig, or goose to prevent passage through a fence or other barrier.
- Strong yoke for a hog, with a twicher and rings, / with tar in a tarpot, for dangerous things: […]1878, Thomas Tusser, “A Digression to Husbandlie Furniture”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC...
- Each hog had a wooden triangular yoke about its neck, by which it was hindered from penetrating through the holes in the encloſures; and for this reaſon, the encloſures are made very ſlender, and eaſy to put up, and do not require much wood.1770, Peter Kalm [i.e., Pehr Kalm], translated by John Reinhold Forster, Travels into North America; […], volume I, Warrington, Cheshire: […] William Eyres, →OCLC, pages 164–165
- Chiefly in pass under the yoke: a raised yoke (sense 1.1), or a symbolic yoke formed from two spears installed upright in the ground with another spear connecting their tops, under which a defeated army was made to march as a sign of subjugation.
- [H]is will and pleaſure was they ſhould paſſe all under the yoke or gallows: the maner wherof is this. They took three ſpears or javelins, and ſet two of them pitched in the ground endlong, and their overthwart faſtned unto the other. Under this kind of gallows the Dictator compelled the Æquians to...1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book III]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC, page 89
- [T]he Æqui being attacked on both ſides and unable to reſiſt or fly, begged a ceſſation of arms. They offered the dictator his own terms; he gave them their lives, but obliged them, in token of ſervitude, to paſs under the yoke, which was two ſpears ſet upright, and another acroſs, in the form of a...1769, [Oliver] Goldsmith, “From the Creation of the Tribunes to the Appointment of the Decemviri”, in The Roman History, from the Foundation of the City of Rome, to the Destruction of the Western...
- A pair of draught animals, especially oxen, yoked together to pull something.
- I have bought fyve yooke of oxẽ [oxen]⸝ ãd I must goo to prove thẽ⸝ I praye the have me excuſed.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Luke xiiij:[19], folio cj, recto
- One yoke of cattle became so foot sore that they were unserviceable, and we were obliged to drive them behind the wagon.1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 31
- The bond or connection between things that are linked in some way.
- A pair of things linked in some way.
- [T]heſe that accuſe him in his intent towards our wiues, are a yoake of his diſcarded men: very rogues, now they be out of ſeruice.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- [T]hese whales, influenced by some views to safety, now swim the seas in immense caravans, so that to a large degree the scattered solitaries, yokes, and pods, and schools of other days are now aggregated into vast but widely separated, unfrequent armies.1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish?—Will He Perish?”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard...
- A carriage, a horse and cart; (by extension, generally) a car or other vehicle.
- […] I missed the train home and I couldn't get any kind of a yoke to give me a lift for, as luck would have it, there was a mass meeting that same day over in Castletownroche and all the cars in the country were there.1916, James Joyce, chapter V, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, New York, N.Y.: B[enjamin] W. Huebsch, →OCLC, page 212
- A miscellaneous object; a gadget.
- These three yokes [AK-47s] we're throwin' them up to them [CIRA]^([sic]) either way…2023 August 5, Paul Williams, quoting Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, “What Hutch and Downhall said on their drive north”, in Irish Independent, page 12
- Synonyms:
- yokibus
- A chap, a fellow.
- A pill of a psychoactive drug.
- An area of arable land, specifically one consisting of a quarter of a suling, or around 50–60 acres (20–24 hectares); hence, a small manor or piece of land.
- Of this ſuling Ralph de Curbeſpine holds one yoke and an half, which is and was worth ſeparately ten ſhillings. Adelold had half a ſuling and half a yoke, and in the time of K. Edward the Confeſſor it was worth 40 ſhillings, and afterwards 20 ſhillings, now 40 ſhillings.1790, Edward Hasted, “The Hundred of Calehill”, in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent. […], volume III, Canterbury, Kent: […] [F]or the author, by Simmons and Kirkby, →OCLC...
- An amount of work done with draught animals, lasting about half a day; (by extension) an amount or shift of any work.
- to work two yokes
- A bond of love, especially marriage; also, a bond of friendship or partnership; an obligation or task borne by two or more people.
- [I]n companions / That do conuerſe and waſte the time together, / Whoſe ſoules do beare an equall yoke of loue, / There muſt be needs a like proportion / Of lineaments, of manners, and of ſpirit […]c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act...
- Such were his Looks, ſo gracefully he ſpoke, / That were I not reſolv'd againſt the Yoke / Of hapleſs Marriage; […] / To this one Error I might yield again: […]1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 297, lines...
- Something which oppresses or restrains a person; a burden.
- Their mothers bed-chamber ſhould not be ſafe, / For theſe baſe bond-men to the yoake of Rome.c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas...
- Whereupon our enemies, kindled with rage, and pricked forward with an ignominious indignity, leſt they ſhould be brought under the yoke of a womans government, with a strong power of choiſe youth, by force of armes invaded her kingdome, which was foreſeen by us: […]1610, William Camden, “Romans in Britaine”, in Philémon Holland, transl., Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […]...
Verb
yoke (third-person singular simple present yokes, present participle yoking, simple past and past participle yoked)
- To join (several draught animals) together with a yoke; also, to fasten a yoke (on one or more draught animals) to pull a cart, plough, etc.; or to attach (a cart, plough, etc.) to a draught animal.
- Bubulcus, […] An oxeheard, or coweheard: a driuer of oxen and kine: he that yoketh oxen, and […] goeth to plowe with them.1585, Adrianus Iunius [i.e., Hadrianus Junius], “Bubulcus”, in Iohn Higins [i.e., John Higgins], transl., The Nomenclator, or Remembrancer of Adrianus Iunius Physician, […], Conteining Proper Names...
- But when Astrea’s Ballance, hung on high, / Betwixt the Nights and Days divides the Sky, / Then Yoke your Oxen, ſow your Winter Grain; / ’Till cold December comes with driving Rain.1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 58, lines...
- To put (one's arm or arms) around someone's neck, waist, etc.; also, to surround (someone's neck, waist, etc.) with one's arms.
- To put (something) around someone's neck like a yoke; also, to surround (someone's neck) with something.
- To place a collar on the neck of (a conquered person or prisoner) to restrain movement.
- To place a frame on the neck of (an animal such as a cow, pig, or goose) to prevent passage through a fence or other barrier.
- To bring (two or more people or things) into a close relationship (often one that is undesired); to connect, to link, to unite.
- Ranchers were yoked together with farmers on the issue.
- Oh then, my beſt blood turne / To an infected Gelly, and my Name / Be yoak'd with his, that did betray the Beſt: […]c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- To bring into or keep (someone) in bondage or a state of submission; to enslave or subject to confine, to restrain; to oppress, to subjugate.
- For thys frayltie, that yoketh all mankynde, / Thou shalt awake, and rue this mysereye: / Rue on Syon.a. 1543, Thomas Wyatt, “Psalm CII. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.”, in John Holland, editor, The Psalmists of Britain. […], volume I, London: R. Groombridge, […]; Sheffield, Yorkshire: Ridge and...
- It is moſt certaine, that vice putteth on a viſard, and goeth diſguiſed and couered with goodly ſhewes that belong onely to vertue, […] And being thus clothed, with the helpe of corruptible pleaſures that lightly paſſe away, it yoketh baſe minded men, whoſe care is onely ſet vpon the deſire of...1586, Peter de la Primaudaye [i.e., Pierre de La Primaudaye], “Of Vice”, in T[homas] B[owes], transl., The French Academie, wherin is Discoursed the Institution of Maners, […], London: […] Edmund...
- To be joined to (another person) in wedlock (often with the implication that it is a burdensome state); to be or become married to (someone).
- God ſir be a man, / Thinke euery bearded fellow, that's but yoak'd, / May draw with you, […]c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act...
- Be ye not vnequally yoked with vnbeleeuers: for what fellowſhip hath righteouſneſſe with vnrighteouſneſſe? and what communion hath light with darkneſſe?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 6:14, column 1
- To be or become connected, linked, or united in a relationship; to have dealings with.
- [I]f you will paſſe / To where you are bound, you muſt enquire your way, / Which you are out of, with a gentler ſpirit, / Or neuer be ſo Noble as a Conſull, / Nor yoake with him for Tribune.c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- And should your greatness, and the care / That yokes with empire, yield you time / To make demand of modern rhyme / If aught of ancient worth be there; […]1851 March, Alfred Tennyson, “To the Queen”, in The Complete Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson, Chicago, Ill.: The Dominion Company, published 1897, →OCLC, page 1
- To be or become joined in wedlock; to be married, to wed.
- God forbid, that I ſhould wiſh them ſeuer'd, / Whom God hath ioyn'd together: / I, and 'twere pittie, to ſunder them, / That yoake ſo well together.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
- Alt[ea]. Shee would faine marry. / 1. Tis a proper calling, / And well beſeemes her yeares, who would ſhe yoke with?1624 (first performance), John Fletcher, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife. A Comoedy. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Leonard Lichfield […], published 1640, →OCLC, Act I, scene [iii], page 8
Noun (2) capitalized: Yoke
Yoke
- radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter Y.
- Synonyms:
- Yankee
Proper noun capitalized: Yoke
Yoke
Also used as
yoke is also the misspelling of yolk.
yoke meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
yoke in Hindi
- bar or frame by which two oxen or other draught animals are joined at their necks enabling them to pull a cart, plough, etc.; device attached to a single draught animal for the same purpose
- जुआ juā
yoke in Tamil
- நுகம்
yoke in Urdu
- bar or frame by which two oxen or other draught animals are joined at their necks enabling them to pull a cart, plough, etc.; device attached to a single draught animal for the same purpose
- جوا juā
yoke in Bengali
- bar or frame by which two oxen or other draught animals are joined at their necks enabling them to pull a cart, plough, etc.; device attached to a single draught animal for the same purpose
- জোয়াল jōẇal
More languagesFewer languages
- yoke in Telugu
- యోక్
- yoke in Malayalam
- നുകം nukaṁ
- yoke in Odia
- ଯୋକ୍ କରିବା ପାଇଁ
- yoke in Sanskrit
- युग yuga, युनक्ति yunakti
- yoke in Pashto
- يوغ yoǧ, زغونډى zǧunḍay, ژغ žəǧ
- yoke in Tagalog
- pamatok, paod, magkaisa, magsama
- yoke in Arabic
- فَدَّان faddān, نِير nīr
- yoke in Malay
- dening, igu, kuk
- yoke in Indonesian
- kuk, pasangan
- yoke in Persian
- یوغ yuġ
- yoke in Thai
- แอก ɛ̀ɛk
- yoke in Vietnamese
- ách
Examples of yoke in a sentence
- A yearling bullock to thy name ſhall ſmoke, / Untam'd, unconſcious of the galling yoke, / With ample forehead, and yet tender horns / Whoſe budding honours ductile gold adorns.1725, Homer, “Book III”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC, page 127...
- [H]is will and pleaſure was they ſhould paſſe all under the yoke or gallows: the maner wherof is this.1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book III]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George...
- And, if thou needs must bear the yoke, I wish it / Gentle as freedom […]1847, Alfred Tennyson, “Part VI”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 130:
- If any state forms a great regular army, the bordering states must imitate the example, or must submit to a foreign yoke.1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, London: Longman, Brown...
Synonyms of yoke
Forms of yoke
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | yokes |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | yokes |
| present participle | yoking |
| past participle | yoked |
| past | yoked |
Origin of yoke
From Middle English iuc, jok, yok, yoke, ȝok, ȝook, from Old English ġeoc, ġioc, ioc (“yoke”), from Proto-West Germanic *juk, from Proto-Germanic *juką (“yoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *yugóm (“yoke”), from *yewg- (“to join, yoke”). Doublet of yuga, jugum, yoga and possibly yogh. Senses 3.1 (“area of arable land”) and 3.2 (“amount of work done with draught animals”) probably referred to the area of land that could generally be ploughed by yoked draught animals within a given time. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Juk (“yoke”), Cimbrian jòch (“yoke”), Dutch juk (“yoke; burden”), German Joch (“yoke”), Luxembourgish Jach (“yoke”), Danish åg (“yoke”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish ok (“yoke”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk åk (“yoke”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌺 (juk, “yoked pair of animals”); also Breton yev (“yoke”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic cuing (“yoke; bond, tie”), Manx quing (“yoke”), Welsh iau (“yoke”), Latin iugum, jugum (“yoke”), Greek ζυγός (zygós, “even; twin”), Latvian jūgs (“yoke; bondage; cart”), Lithuanian jungas (“yoke”), Bulgarian и́го (ígo), юго (jugo, “yoke”), Czech jho (“yoke”), Kashubian jigò, jugò (“yoke”), Macedonian иго (igo, “yoke”), Polabian jaiďü...
From Middle English yoken, yoke, ȝoken (“to put a harness or yoke on a draught animal or pair of such animals, to yoke; to attach (an animal to a cart, plough, etc.) with a yoke; to lock (arms) in wrestling; to bind (oneself or someone) to something”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeocian, iucian, from Old English ġeoc (“yoke”) (see etymology 1) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns).
See yolk.
Words formed from yoke
Phrases with yoke
Words that rhyme with yoke
Questions about yoke
- What does yoke mean?
- Yoke means a bar or frame by which two oxen or other draught animals are joined at their necks enabling them to pull a cart, plough, etc.; two draught animals connected by such a yoke; (by extension) a device attached to a single draught animal for the same purpose.
- What is yoke in Hindi?
- Yoke in Hindi is जुआ (juā). See Yoke meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use yoke in a sentence?
- A yearling bullock to thy name ſhall ſmoke, / Untam'd, unconſcious of the galling yoke, / With ample forehead, and yet tender horns / Whoſe budding honours ductile gold adorns.
- What part of speech is yoke?
- Yoke can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce yoke?
- Yoke is pronounced /jəʊk/ (UK).
- What is the plural of yoke?
- The plural of yoke is yokes.
Words near yoke in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: yoke (page history and authors); Yoke (page history and authors); yoke (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); yoke (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); yoke (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-yoke.ogg.
Cite this entry: “yoke.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/yoke. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.