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• 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.

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noun

1. a teenager.

teen ² American  

[teen] / tin /

noun

1. Archaic. suffering; grief.

2. Obsolete. injury; harm.

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-teen ³ American  

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

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-teen ¹ British  

combining form

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

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teen ² British  

/ tiːn /

adjective

1. informal another word for teenage

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teen ³ British  

/ tiːn /

noun

1. obsolete affliction or woe

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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

See Examples For:

teen

She starred alongside Kate Hudson in the 2004 film Raising Helen and was beloved by a generation of fans for playing Britney Allen in teen cheerleading movie Bring It On: All or Nothing in 2006.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Hoult found fame alongside Hugh Grant in the big-screen adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel About A Boy in 2002, before going on to star in teen drama Skins.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“We wanted to tap into the teen nostalgia of sleepovers, and things we always wanted to do at sleepovers, but never panned out in the way you imagine in movies,” said Mathers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Moreover, it’s a refreshing look at the miscues of teen romance, a cliché-free portrait of the ’70s, and a sketch of beach-bum existence before waterfront property became synonymous with luxury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

I guess all the teen movies were right: prom is slightly, slightly magical.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Related Words

• juvenile
• youngster