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yikes

American

[yahyks] / yaɪks /

interjection

(an exclamation of surprise or alarm.)

yikes British

/ ˈjaiks /

interjection

informal an expression of surprise, fear, or alarm

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of yikes

First recorded in 1940–45; possibly from yoicks

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You know the feeling when you hold Ohio State close and then they get a couple of big plays and you’re like, Oh yikes, here they come?

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

Those sounds and smells wafted through that side of the building, but if I had lived in a single-family home, they may have come through my window — yikes!

From MarketWatch • Oct. 25, 2025

But as powerful as Oprah is, she isn't subject to the political consequences of "yikes" moments like this one.

From Salon • May 1, 2024

She is pleased by the offer, as she should be, but yikes they are young and clueless.

From Washington Post • Jun. 14, 2022

Ernie drew air through clenched teeth, as if to say yikes.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023