aurora borealis

noun

aurora bo·​re·​al·​is -ˌbȯr-ē-ˈa-ləs 

: an aurora that occurs in earth's northern hemisphere

called also northern lights

Examples of aurora borealis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Topline The aurora borealis could light up skies into the northern United States Friday and Saturday nights thanks to a geomagnetic storm that will push the Kp index to almost six and extend the visibility of the northern lights slightly below the Canadian border. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

On the other hand, if seeing the northern lights tops your list, a trip to Norway between late September and early April will land you there during the aurora borealis season. —Elizabeth Preske, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026

There’s a chance that the aurora borealis will appear in the sky above Idaho’s capital city on Thursday, June 4, according to the National Weather Service. —Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman, 5 June 2026

Known for creating ribbons of colorful light in the night sky, the aurora borealis are polar lights, or aurora polaris, that appear in the Northern Hemisphere. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 15 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, literally, northern dawn

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aurora borealis

• allis
• balas
• callous
• callus
• chalice
• gallus
• malice
• malus
• palace
• pallas
• phallus
• talis

Kids Definition

aurora borealis

noun

aurora bo·​re·​al·​is -ˌbōr-ē-ˈal-əs 

-ˌbȯr-

: broad bands of light that have a magnetic and electrical source and that appear in the sky at night especially in the arctic region

called also northern lights