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Definition of tern

tern

/tɜːrn/
tern
Plural:terns
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tern Lexical Profile

tern Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A seabird of the family Sternidae, closely related to gulls but typically smaller and more slender, characterized by long pointed wings, a deeply forked tail, and a buoyant, graceful flight.

Example

"The Arctic tern is famous for its incredible migration, traveling from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic and back every year."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for tern

• Rhymes for tern

• Nearby Words

termly
terms
termtime
tern
terra
terrace
terraced

Word Origin & Etymology

Late 17th century: from Scandinavian sources such as Danish 'terne', Swedish 'tärna', or Norwegian 'tern', ultimately from Old Norse 'þerna'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Tern. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/tern
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