Definition

1. Verb (intransitive):
   • To complain in a persistent, whining, or fretful manner: To express dissatisfaction or annoyance with repeated, often high-pitched, vocal complaints.
   • To utter loud, prolonged, and sometimes mournful cries: To make a continuous, loud, and often discordant noise, typically used to describe the sounds of certain animals.

Usage and Examples

• Complaining whiningly:
  • The toddler began to yammer about being tired.
  • He would yammer on for hours about the unfairness of the new policy.
• Crying loudly (of animals):
  • The foxes yammered in the woods all night.
  • From the valley, we could hear the wolves yammering.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "to yammer on (about something)": To talk or complain at length in an annoying, repetitive, or whining way.
  • She yammered on about her computer problems until I had to leave the room.
• The word often carries a negative connotation, implying the sound or speech is irritating, pointless, or excessive.

Variants and Related Words

• Yammering (noun/adj): The act or sound of yammering; characterized by yammering.
  • The constant yammering from the next office was distracting.
• Yammerer (noun): A person who yammers.
  • He's known in the office as a chronic yammerer.

Synonyms

• Whine: To complain in a feeble or petulant way.
• Kvetch: (Informal) To complain habitually.
• Howl: To utter a loud, prolonged, mournful cry (for the animal sense).
• Bellow: To emit a deep loud roar.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Yammer away: Similar to "yammer on," meaning to continue yammering.
  • He just yammered away on the phone without listening.

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• While "yammer" itself is not commonly the base of idioms, the construction "yammering on" is a fixed phrase indicating tedious, lengthy complaint or talk.
  • I wish he'd stop yammering on about the good old days.

Verb

1. complain whiningly
2. cry loudly, as of animals
   • The coyotes were howling in the desert