tern

noun \ ˈtərn \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of tern

: any of various chiefly marine birds (subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae and especially genus Sterna) that differ from the related gulls in usually smaller size, a more slender build, a sharply pointed bill, narrower wings, and an often forked tail

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Recent Examples of tern from the Web

In fall, the numbers of pelicans, Heermann’s gulls and elegant terns can be outstanding.

— jill k. robinson, SFChronicle.com, "5 places to spot birds in Half Moon Bay," 12 July 2018
All those birds, incuding boobies, frigatebirds, noddies, shearwaters and terns, poop.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Coral Reefs Need Fewer Rats and More Bird Poo," 12 July 2018
Swallows, gulls and terns, crows, blackbirds and orioles, tyrant flycatchers and parids—all practice mobbing.

— lance morrow, WSJ, "Political Harassment Is for the Birds," 6 July 2018
Delehanty said the Aleutian tern, which has faced endangerment, breeds on Attu.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Thousands of Japanese fought in a bloody World War II battle for the Aleutians. Only 28 survived.," 24 May 2018
White terns flutter high in the canopy of motu Reiono’s giant indigenous cabbage trees (Pisonia grandis).

— klara glowczewska, Town & Country, "The Brando Is the Ultimate Luxury Resort—But What It Really Wants to Do Is Save the Planet," 20 Sep. 2017
The islands also are used as nesting sites by least terns, Forster’s terns, oystercatchers and other waterbirds.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Cow Trap Lake Project a success on multiple levels," 10 May 2018
David Paton, an ecologist, has spent decades monitoring its fairy terns.

— The Economist, "Australia’s biggest river is running dry, despite plans to save it," 19 May 2018
This was utterly predictable, once the president was so eager to accept the terms before the terns were even spelled out.

— Fox News, "North Korea threatens to cancel summit with President Trump," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tern.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.