Definition of "yo-yo" in English

noun

1. A toy consisting of a spheroidal or cylindrical spindle having a circular groove in which string is wound; it is used by holding the string in the fingers and reeling the spindle up and down by movements of the wrist.

   • I bought a yo-yo from the toy store yesterday.

2. (finance) A volatile market that moves up and down.

3. (informal) Someone who vacillates.

4. (aviation, military) A dogfighting maneuver involving the attacker temporarily exchanging altitude for airspeed, or vice versa, in order to rapidly catch up with the defender or to prevent an overshoot.

5. (sewing) A cloth rosette formed by gathering the outside edge of a circle of fabric in toward the centre using a running stitch.

6. (informal) A foolish, annoying or incompetent person.

   • It is hard to watch the management for very long and not conclude that the place is run by a bunch of yo-yos.

verb

1. (intransitive) To vacillate; to move up and down.