teen
1 Americanadjective
noun
noun
-
Archaic. suffering; grief.
-
Obsolete. injury; harm.
combining form
adjective
noun
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Generation X grew up with Jackson, whose mass audience introduction came by way of roles on “Good Times” and “Fame” in her teens.
From Salon
The teens are part of Make Great Plays, a grassroots organization that gives elementary school students a chance to dream, excel and believe they belong in educational echelons that once felt out of reach.
From Los Angeles Times
Designed with a curved railing that spins at the touch of a button, the closet became one of the most recognizable features in the teen’s room throughout the show.
From MarketWatch
Australia, which in December became the first country to introduce measures to protect teens from online threats, is investigating Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for possible breaches.
From Barron's
A growing body of research suggests too much time online is taking a toll on teen wellbeing.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
