Jump to:

• teen
  teen

  adjective

  teenage.
• -teen
  -teen

  a suffix used to form cardinal numerals from 13 to 19.

teen

¹ American  

[teen] / tin /

adjective

1. teenage.

---

noun

1. a teenager.

teen ² American  

[teen] / tin /

noun

1. Archaic. suffering; grief.

2. Obsolete. injury; harm.

---

-teen ³ American  

1. a suffix used to form cardinal numerals from 13 to 19.

---

-teen ¹ British  

combining form

1. ten: added to modified forms of the numbers 3 to 9 to form the numbers 13 to 19

---

teen ² British  

/ tiːn /

adjective

1. informal another word for teenage

---

teen ³ British  

/ tiːn /

noun

1. obsolete affliction or woe

---

Usage

What does -teen mean? The suffix -teen means “ten.” It is used to form cardinal numbers from 13 to 19. The form -teen comes from Old English -tēne, meaning “ten.” The Latin cognate of -tēne is -decim, from decem, also meaning “ten.” Find out how dozen is related to the combining form -decim at our entry for the word.

Other Word Forms

• -teenth
  combining form

Etymology

Origin of teen¹

First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening

Origin of teen²

before 1000; Middle English tene, Old English tēona; cognate with Old Frisian tiona, Old Saxon tiono, Old Norse tjōn

Origin of -teen³

Middle English, Old English -tēne, combining form of ten; cognate with Dutch -tien, German -zehn

Explanation

Are you between the ages of 13 and 19? If so, you're a teen! Teen is a less-formal way to say teenager. You can use this informal word as a noun or an adjective, so you might talk about teen literature, teen rebellion, teen movies, or teen romance—anything that has to do with teenagers. If you're 11, you may be eagerly anticipating your teen years; if you happen to be 37, you certainly remember being a teen, either fondly or not. The teen years are also known as adolescence.

Example Sentences

Mall owners resort to banning anyone under 18 unaccompanied by an adult, following waves of teen disruptions at their properties.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

The film highlighted the experience of teen girls in Surkhet, Nepal, and the menstrual stigma they faced.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

The Santa Ana teen was traveling at around 35 mph on a black E Ride Pro electric motorcycle when he struck the median and lost control of the vehicle, according to authorities.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

But 16 year old Owen Cooper, who won best supporting actor for his role as young teen Jamie Miller, still remembers where it all began.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

All of his older brothers had joined the Nation of Islam before my father hit his teen years.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Related Words

• juvenile
• youngster