Yield: Definition, Usage & Common Examples

Meaning 1：output amount (yield)

yield 🔊

/jiːld/

The amount of product or money that is produced or obtained from something.

Yield definition illustrated by a farmer with abundant wheat harvest in a field

output amount 🔊

➕

output amount

This refers to the quantity or volume of something that is generated, produced, or earned from a specific process, investment, or piece of land.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

The word 'yield' originates from the Old English 'gieldan', meaning 'to pay, give, or return'. It is related to the Old Norse 'gjalda' and Gothic 'gildan', all sharing a core sense of giving something in return.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'farm field' giving its 'yield'. The 'field' produces the 'yield'. This visual link helps you remember the noun form relates to the output of something.

📖 Example

This year, the apple orchard had a record yield thanks to the perfect weather. 🔊 This year, the apple orchard had a record yield thanks to the perfect weather.

🔗 Collocations

high yield – A large amount of output or return

crop yield – The amount of agricultural produce harvested from a specific area

dividend yield – A financial ratio showing how much a company pays out in dividends each year relative to its stock price

🔄 Synonyms

output (n.) – The amount of something produced by a person, machine, or industry.

harvest (n.) – The process or period of gathering in crops; the yield from plants in a single season.

return (n.) – The profit from an investment or business transaction.

🚫 Antonyms

deficit (n.) – The amount by which something, especially a sum of money, is too small.

loss (n.) – An amount of money lost by a business or organization.

📖 Cultural Story

In modern English, 'yield' is a key term in both finance and agriculture. In finance, 'dividend yield' is a standard metric used by investors to measure the annual return on a stock investment relative to its price. In agriculture, it is the fundamental measure of a crop's success, reported by entities from small farms to national statistics bureaus, directly linking to food security and economic planning.