diff --git a/examples/sections.js b/examples/sections.js
index bc6a6f3..5b621ed 100644
--- a/examples/sections.js
+++ b/examples/sections.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const str = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures', 'sections.md'));
 const file = matter(str, {
   section: function(section, file) {
     if (typeof section.data === 'string' && section.data.trim() !== '') {
-      section.data = yaml.safeLoad(section.data);
+      section.data = yaml.load(section.data);
     }
     section.content = section.content.trim() + '\n';
   }
diff --git a/lib/engines.js b/lib/engines.js
index 38f993d..db024e9 100644
--- a/lib/engines.js
+++ b/lib/engines.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const engines = exports = module.exports;
  */
 
 engines.yaml = {
-  parse: yaml.safeLoad.bind(yaml),
+  parse: yaml.load.bind(yaml),
   stringify: yaml.safeDump.bind(yaml)
 };
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3ddd1ef..4f71777 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
     "test": "mocha"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "js-yaml": "^3.13.1",
+    "js-yaml": "^4.1.1",
     "kind-of": "^6.0.2",
     "section-matter": "^1.0.0",
     "strip-bom-string": "^1.0.0"
diff --git a/test/parse-custom.js b/test/parse-custom.js
index 14047eb..89e925a 100644
--- a/test/parse-custom.js
+++ b/test/parse-custom.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ describe('custom parser:', function() {
     var actual = matter.read('./test/fixtures/lang-yaml.md', {
       parser: function customParser(str, opts) {
         try {
-          return YAML.safeLoad(str, opts);
+          return YAML.load(str, opts);
         } catch (err) {
           throw new SyntaxError(err);
         }
diff --git a/test/parse-yaml.js b/test/parse-yaml.js
index 45bdc5c..49b3a06 100644
--- a/test/parse-yaml.js
+++ b/test/parse-yaml.js
@@ -53,9 +53,9 @@ describe('parse YAML:', function() {
     assert(actual.hasOwnProperty('orig'));
   });
 
-  it('should use safeLoad when specified', function() {
+  it('should use load when specified', function() {
     var fixture = '---\nabc: xyz\nversion: 2\n---\n\n<span class="alert alert-info">This is an alert</span>\n';
-    var actual = matter(fixture, {safeLoad: true});
+    var actual = matter(fixture, {load: true});
     assert.deepEqual(actual.data, {abc: 'xyz', version: 2});
     assert.equal(actual.content, '\n<span class="alert alert-info">This is an alert</span>\n');
     assert(actual.hasOwnProperty('orig'));