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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

Derived 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

Teen employment has never been evenly distributed; it rises with family income.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Teen unemployment, which typically runs much higher than the national average, has been choppy so far this year.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

Instagram Teen Accounts was launched two years ago as a tool designed to protect teenagers from harmful content.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

It followed Lauren Conrad, star of “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County,” as she moved to Los Angeles and took an internship with Teen Vogue.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Please fill in the following information and return to Jessie Jane, Miss Teen Dream Pageant administrative assistant, before Monday.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Related Words

• juvenile
• youngster