1 aurora borealis | Definition of aurora borealis

aurora borealis

noun
aurora bo·​re·​al·​is | \ -ËŒbȯr-Ä“-ˈa-lÉ™s How to pronounce aurora borealis (audio) \

Definition of aurora borealis

: 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

This holiday weekend, the aurora borealis will be visible from Idaho to Maine. Doug Criss, CNN, "5 things to know for August 30: Dorian, Hong Kong, Amazon, border wall, economy," 30 Aug. 2019 Players can initially choose from grass, flowers, trees, the aurora borealis and an apple. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, "Preview: Painting happy little trees in ‘Concrete Genie’ reminds me of Bob Ross," 30 July 2019 Colorful light projections mimic the aurora borealis, often called the Northern Lights. Arizona Republic, azcentral, "Summer in Arizona: Locals share 100 fun ways to survive the 100-degree heat in Phoenix," 1 July 2019 That magnetic outburst created aurora borealis visible all around the Earth and blew out some telegraph systems, while generating enough voltage to allow other lines to operate with their power switched off. Quanta Magazine, "Machine Learning’s ‘Amazing’ Ability to Predict Chaos," 18 Apr. 2018 Over the weekend, residents of far northern Norway got to see the aurora borealis in the skies above their home. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "NASA Created Artificial Auroras in the Sky Above Norway," 9 Apr. 2019 What makes this phenomenon different from the aurora borealis is how it's formed. David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Meet STEVE: The Light Phenomenon That's Not Aurora Borealis," 22 Aug. 2018 The predicted magnetic storm could push the aurora borealis to lower latitudes, raising the possibility its eerie streamers would slither over the skies in New York, Wisconsin, or Washington State. Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "Keep on Chasing the Northern Lights," 25 Mar. 2019 Inspired by the iridescent colors of the aurora borealis, Chantecaille’s new celestial polishes ensure out-of-this-world nails, free of harsh chemicals and formaldehydes, too. Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "13 New Beauty Products Worth the Hype in 2019," 9 Jan. 2019

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

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First Known Use of aurora borealis

1707, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for aurora borealis

New Latin, literally, northern dawn

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More Definitions for aurora borealis

aurora borealis

noun
au·​ro·​ra bo·​re·​al·​is | \ É™-ËŒrȯr-É™-ËŒbȯr-Ä“-ˈa-lÉ™s How to pronounce aurora borealis (audio) \

Kids Definition of aurora borealis

: broad bands of light that have a magnetic and electrical source and that appear in the sky at night especially in the arctic regions

More from Merriam-Webster on aurora borealis

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with aurora borealis

Spanish Central: Translation of aurora borealis

Nglish: Translation of aurora borealis for Spanish Speakers