Legal Definitions - yield

Definition: To yield is to give up or surrender control, especially when required by law. For example, when driving, you must yield to pedestrians or other vehicles when they have the right-of-way.

To yield can also mean to produce or bring forth a result. For instance, a search may yield criminal evidence, or an investment may yield a profit.

Example: The driver had to yield to the pedestrians crossing the street at the crosswalk.

Example: The scientist's research yielded new discoveries about the human brain.

These examples illustrate the two different meanings of the word "yield." In the first example, the driver had to give up control of the road to the pedestrians, as required by law. In the second example, the scientist's research produced new information, or yielded new discoveries.