tern
noun
\ ˈtərn
\
\
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
Illustration of tern
Examples of tern in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are more birds now, common terns and healthier sea gulls. — Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, "A Tomato Grows in the East River," 4 Sep. 2019 Nam Island, which is adjacent to the site and was blown in half during the Bravo operation, is home to fairy terns and giant coconut crabs and is a nesting site for sea turtles. — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, "Radiation in parts of the Marshall Islands is far higher than Chernobyl, study says," 15 July 2019 Nam Island, which is adjacent to the site and was blown in half during the Bravo operation, is home to fairy terns and giant coconut crabs and is a nesting site for sea turtles. — Susanne Rust, latimes.com, "Radioactivity in parts of the Marshall Islands is far higher than Chernobyl, study says," 15 July 2019 Tropic birds, shearwaters, petrels, terns, boobies, and other birds of the open ocean roost and forage on sargassum mats. — David Doubilet, National Geographic, "Life in the North Atlantic depends on this floating seaweed," 12 June 2019 On the third day, our first landfall was the coral atoll of Ducie, where tropical fish swarmed on underwater reefs while fairy terns picked tidbits of plant matter off the surface of the rolling sea. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Exploring Polynesia's Islands by Cruise," 28 June 2019 Three royal terns were at Fort Hill in Eastham, and other sightings included individual blackpoll, Wilson’s, and chestnut-sided warblers. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings on Cape Cod," 24 June 2019 With the rats gone, conservationists expect to see an explosion in the number of albatrosses, skuas, terns, petrels, and South Georgia pipits and pintail ducks. — Charlie Hamilton James, National Geographic, "How rats became an inescapable part of city living," 17 June 2019 Arctic terns and Aleutian terns gather together on ocean spits to scratch out nest cups. — Anchorage Daily News, "Monitoring a mystery bird on Southeast Alaska ocean spits," 15 June 2019These 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.
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More Definitions for tern
tern
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tern
: a kind of bird that lives near the ocean, is usually black and white, and has long wings and a tail with two points
See the full definition for tern in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tern
noun
\ ˈtərn
\
\
Kids Definition of tern
: a small slender seagull with a white body, narrow wings, and the top of the head black
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