tern

noun \ ˈtərn \

Updated on: 10 May 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

Sightings from Race Point in Provincetown included a mix of lingering winter birds like Pacific loon, Iceland gulls, and snowy owl, along with new spring arrivals like parasitic jaegers, common terns, a roseate tern, and sooty shearwaters.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings on Cape Cod," 7 May 2018
The clingy fog softened but could not hide the stark, otherworldly beauty of Holgate, uninhabited except for plovers, terns, skimmers, and oyster catchers.

— kevin riordan, Philly.com, "A Shore wildlife haven is a source of visual and musical inspiration," 28 Apr. 2018
The terns and pelicans have gone to roost, and the dolphins no longer crisscross the water by the hundreds.

— erik vance, Scientific American, "Goodbye, Vaquita: How Corruption and Poverty Doom Endangered Species," 22 Aug. 2017
Things take a tern when ge takes a loan from a wealthy neighbor and his coerced into becoming a FBI informant on the man.

— michael o'connell, The Hollywood Reporter, "Derek Luke Lands Starring Role in NBC's 'Suspicion' Pilot," 2 Mar. 2018
On some of their closest neighbors, the Line Islands one thousand miles to the east, it's already been 2018 for twenty-six hours by the time the terns and boobies on Howland and Baker finally see midnight.

— ken jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "These Islands Are the Last to Ring in the New Year," 1 Jan. 2018
Irma, a slower mover that had spent more time over land before passing to our west on Sept. 12 apparently displaced terns as the most prevalent group of affected birds at our reservoirs.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Look what the hurricane blew in," 22 Sep. 2017
Through these observations, the researchers found that most common terns are monogamous to a fault.

— joshua rapp learn, Smithsonian, "Birds Struggle to Keep Their Marriages in Rapidly Changing Urban Environments," 6 Feb. 2017
The spike in the numbers of hawks, sparrows, robins, terns, and other songbirds and shorebirds — and a few rare species — is being driven by northwest winds and a pattern of cold fronts that have emerged along the East Coast over the past month.

— jacqueline l. urgo, Philly.com, "What's that sound in Cape May? 10,000 yellow-rumped warblers chirping at the same time," 27 Oct. 2017

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.

Illustration of tern

Origin and Etymology of tern

of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish terne tern

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First Known Use: 1678

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TERN Defined for English Language Learners

tern

noun

Definition of tern for English Language Learners

: a kind of bird that lives near the ocean, is usually black and white, and has long wings and a tail with two points

TERN Defined for Kids

tern

noun \ ˈtərn \

Definition of tern for Students

: a small slender seagull with a white body, narrow wings, and the top of the head black

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See words that rhyme with tern Spanish Central: Translation of tern Nglish: Translation of tern for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tern

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tern

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