teen

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈtiːn/ 🇺🇸 /ˈtiːn/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A person between the ages of 13 and 19; a teenager.; The period of life between the ages of 13 and 19; adolescence.; A number ending in -teen, i.e., from 13 to 19.
  2. adjective
    Relating to or characteristic of teenagers or adolescence.
  3. noun
    Grief, sorrow, or distress (archaic or dialectal usage).
  4. verb
    To grieve or be distressed (archaic usage).
  5. noun
    A small enclosure or fenced area (dialectal, chiefly British).
  6. verb
    To enclose or fence in (dialectal, chiefly British).

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: teens

Collocations

teen yearsteen idolteen pregnancyteen angstteen spirit

Derivatives

teenagerteenagepreteenteensy

Synonyms

teenageradolescentyouthminor

Antonyms

adult

Commonly confused

teenage
EN: 'Teenage' is an adjective (e.g., 'teenage rebellion'), while 'teen' can be both a noun and an adjective.
teenager
EN: 'Teenager' is strictly a noun referring to a person aged 13–19; 'teen' is a shorter, more informal equivalent.

Spelling tips

EN: No common spelling issues. Note that 'teen' as a suffix (e.g., 'thirteen') is sometimes confused with '-ty' (e.g., 'thirty') in pronunciation.

💬 Examples

  1. The teen was excited to get her first driver's license.

  2. She spent her teens traveling around Europe with her family.

  3. The number fifteen is one of the teens.

  4. The movie was a huge hit among teen audiences.

  5. The old ballad spoke of great teen and woe.

  6. She did teen for the loss of her beloved.

  7. The cattle were kept in the teen behind the farmhouse.

  8. They teened the garden to keep the rabbits out.