yoke

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /joʊk/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

Singular yoke

Plural yokes

A yoke.

1. A yoke is a wooden frame or bar with loops or bows at either end, used for joining two oxen or other animals together to pull a plough or vehicle.

   The farmer used a yoke to connect the oxen.

2. If someone has to live under the yoke of something bad, they have to lives that are controlled by it.

   The people struggled to free themselves from the yoke of slavery.

3. A yoke is something that connects two parts and keeps them together.

   The yoke of marriage binds two people together.

4. In engineering, a yoke is a crosspiece that connects two parts of a mechanism.

   The yoke of the airplane controls its pitch and roll.

5. A yoke is a fitted part of a garment, usually around the neck and shoulders, that provides support and shape.

   The dress had a lace yoke around the neckline.

Verb

Plain form yoke

Third-person singular yokes

Past tense yoked

Past participle yoked

Present participle yoking

1. If you yoke animals, such as oxen, to something that they pull, you put a yoke on them, so they can pull it.

   The farmer yoked the oxen to the plough.

2. If you yoke two things together, you join or link them together closely.

   The new policy yokes education with economic development.

3. If someone is yoked to something bad, they have to lives that are controlled by it.

   The workers felt yoked to their desks.