northern lights

plural noun

: aurora borealis

Examples of northern lights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Finland is known for many things—its sauna culture, Lapland, and the northern lights. — Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026 Chances to see the northern lights are even higher in Alaska and significantly increase the farther inland observers are in the state. — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026 When Earth-directed, CMEs can interact with our planet's magnetic field and spark geomagnetic storms, which can produce dazzling northern lights displays. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 1 July 2026 The higher the number, the farther south the northern lights can appear. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for northern lights

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of northern lights was in the 14th century

Rhymes for northern lights

See All Rhymes for northern lights

Browse Nearby Words

northernize
northern lights
northernly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Northern lights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northern%20lights. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

northern lights

plural noun
: aurora borealis
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All