yes?

IPA/jes/
IPA/jes/

yes? — noun

1. an affirmative answer given by voting or by speaking — for instance, a vote cast

1.nounB1
Definition

an affirmative answer given by voting or by speaking — for instance, a vote cast in support of a proposal, or a spoken reply that agrees to an offer.

Example

The final count showed fifteen yeses and only three noes.

plural form: yeses (or yesses)

Padma gave a firm yes when the committee asked if she would lead the project.

Common collocations
  • a firm yes
  • a clear yes
  • a resounding yes
  • yes vote
  • yes man
Synonyms
  • approval

    more general; can refer to official permission rather than a single vote or reply

  • affirmative

    formal; common in military and radio communication contexts

  • aye

    used specifically in formal voting, especially in the British Parliament

Antonyms
  • no

    direct opposite; a negative vote or reply

  • refusal

    opposite of the reply/acceptance meaning

Grammar Patterns

a + yes (singular)

yeses / yesses (plural)

Usage Note

A countable noun, so it needs an article or determiner (a yes, the yeses). The plural can be spelled either yeses or yesses. Common in voting and decision-making contexts to refer to the affirmative position itself, not the person holding it.

Common Mistakes

He gave yes to the invitation.
He gave a yes to the invitation.
The noun yes is countable and must have an article.
The yeses won the argument.
The people who voted yes won the argument.
Use yes as a noun for the vote or answer itself, not for the people who said it.

yes? — adverb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Yes is the standard, neutral affirmative in English, suitable for any register from casual conversation to formal writing. Yeah is its informal equivalent — natural among friends but too casual for business emails or academic writing. Yep (and yup) are even more casual than yeah, often used in quick, relaxed exchanges. Sure is a friendly, willing affirmative that can imply enthusiasm ('Sure, I'd love to!'), but it can also sound less committal than yes in some contexts. Of course adds the nuance that the answer is obvious or expected — it can sound polite or, with certain intonation, a little impatient. Aye is regionally restricted to northern England, Scotland, and formal parliamentary voting. Uh-huh is a non-verbal sound used in casual listening or agreement, not appropriate for writing or formal situations. For example: a job candidate would say 'Yes, I have experience with that software' in an interview, but 'Yeah, I know it' to a colleague afterward.

yeah ↗yep ↗sure ↗of course ↗aye ↗uh-huh ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • say yes
  • yes or no
  • the answer is yes
  • yes, please
  • yes and no
  • yes, of course

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Yes comes from Old English gēse (also spelled gīse), which was a compound of gēa 'yea' (meaning an affirmative) and sīe, the third-person singular subjunctive form of bēon 'to be'. The literal meaning was therefore 'yea, be it so' — a way of saying 'may it be so' or 'so be it.' Over centuries the two-word phrase shortened and merged into the single word yes, which has been in continuous use since before the 12th century.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun