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

The aurora borealis — the phenomenon more commonly known as the northern lights — was spotted all across southwestern Pennsylvania, including in Butler, Indiana, Westmoreland, Washington and Venango counties. —Michael Guise, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

The northern lights, which is officially known as the aurora borealis, is a natural phenomenon that projects colorful lights in the night sky as a result of an interaction between the sun's plasma and Earth's magnetic field, according to the National Weather Service. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026

The aurora borealis is only expected to be widely visible in the early morning hours of Tuesday. —Brian Smith, Des Moines Register, 19 Jan. 2026

Topline Ten northern states could have an opportunity to see the aurora borealis Saturday and Sunday due to the arrival of fast solar winds from a coronal hole on the sun, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. —Mike Stunson, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 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