1 northern | Definition of northern

northern

adjective
north·​ern | \ ˈnȯr-t͟hərn How to pronounce northern (audio) , ˈnȯr-t͟hən\

Definition of northern

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 capitalized

a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated North
b : of, relating to, or constituting the northern dialect
2a : lying toward the north
b : coming from the north a northern storm

northern

noun

Definition of northern (Entry 2 of 2)

1 capitalized : the dialect of English spoken in the part of the U.S. north of a line running northwest through central New Jersey, below the northern tier of counties in Pennsylvania, through northern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, across central Iowa, and through the northwest corner of South Dakota

Examples of northern in a Sentence

Adjective

the northern part of the state

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Haney led an unofficial fact-finding delegation that spent a week in the Philippines after learning that Lee, 37, was shot outside his home Aug. 6 in the Ifugao province of the northern Philippines. Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "SF supervisor visits activist nearly shot to death in Philippines," 30 Aug. 2019 Salt from the salt mines of Central Europe—sought after by the peoples of northern Europe—was exchanged with amber from the Baltic shores, which was then sold to Mediterranean peoples. Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, "Follow the Ancient Amber Road," 29 Aug. 2019 Big thunderstorms are expected to form over Arizona or northern Mexico Saturday night. Robert Krier, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Holiday weekend could bring heat, sprinkles," 29 Aug. 2019 Few international aid groups are allowed into northern Rakhine to help civilians. The Economist, "A Chinese development scheme complicates Myanmar’s ethnic conflicts," 29 Aug. 2019 Once complete, commuters in northern Madison County as well as southern Tennessee will have a more direct, high-speed access route to the arsenal. Paul Gattis | [email protected], al, "Work on horizon to extend Huntsville’s Northern Bypass," 28 Aug. 2019 Her village, Kwapo'ywyry, is one of 92 different Waiapi villages that dot the roughly 1.5 million acres in northern Brazil that was officially declared an indigenous reserve in 1996. Flora Charner, Isa Soares, Waffa Munayyer, Cnn, CNN, "Brazil's indigenous guardians of the Amazon," 27 Aug. 2019 The National Weather Service is calling for 4- to 6-foot waves on Wednesday night, thanks to northern wind. Laura Johnston, cleveland.com, "Fall brings big waves to Lake Erie," 27 Aug. 2019 The deaths of the three victims had shaken rural northern British Columbia and Manitoba. Rob Gillies, Anchorage Daily News, "Canadian teen murder suspects committed suicide in wilderness, police say," 13 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Between May and August, Freeze might catch fewer than 10 northerns at his arboreal outpost just off Interstate 95. Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, "A mysterious disease is killing millions of bats. These scientists are trying to save them.," 12 July 2018 This is not a new polarization in the western states or in other northern settled regions. Steve Haycox, Anchorage Daily News, "Economic reality sets the stage for tension over ANWR drilling," 9 Mar. 2018 Connecting with history through Mexican folklórico dance (3:25) Numerically speaking, Wilma and Harold Matz are rarer around here than the endangered northern spotted owl. Danny Westneat, The Seattle Times, "‘Greatest generation’ is fading, but it’s still got choice words for our own," 23 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'northern.' 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 northern

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for northern

Adjective

Middle English northerne, from Old English; akin to Old High German nordrōni northern, Old English north north

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More Definitions for northern

northern

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of northern

: located in or toward the north
: of or relating to the north

northern

adjective
north·​ern | \ ˈnȯr-t͟hərn How to pronounce northern (audio) \

Kids Definition of northern

1 often capitalized : of, relating to, or like that of the North northern weather
2 : lying toward or coming from the north northern Europe

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More from Merriam-Webster on northern

Spanish Central: Translation of northern

Nglish: Translation of northern for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of northern for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about northern