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

According to forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, energized solar wind streaming toward Earth may trigger geomagnetic conditions strong enough to push the aurora borealis farther south than usual. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025

The northern lights, known as the aurora borealis, create colorful ribbons of light in the sky, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025

Less than one month ago, the aurora borealis was seen not only in northern states like Minnesota and Montana, but as far south as states like Florida, Alabama, and New Mexico. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 8 Dec. 2025

Use the short-term forecast tool to track where the location of the aurora borealis for the next 30 to 90 minutes. —Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 8 Dec. 2025

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