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Definitions
Trivia Time
Which nautical term describes the direction toward a ship's stern?

stern

[sturn] / stɜrn /


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.

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Russian ambassadors in Berlin, London, Paris, Brussels and other capitals have been summoned by their hosts for stern lectures.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

The stern and central section appear to have been covered with the same material, while researchers identified three distinct coating batches at the bow.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

By then we'll know what's the most suitable moniker - the overly-familiar Sebba or Poco - or something more stern.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

In an age when only a very small percentage of young people go into military service, Tony experiences something like boot camp, complete with a stern but wise mentor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

He bounded up the steps, waving his baseball bat, and without hesitation goat-galloped to the stern and leaped over the rail with a gleeful “Ha-HA!”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Boats have toppled pilings, and hard landings have cracked sterns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Navy said Revolutionary Guard vessels repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of several American ships at close range and high speed in the northern Gulf.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 22, 2020

With the sterns half-ashore, breakers could then cut in and dismantle the ships laterally, as a snacker might eat through a baguette.

From The Guardian ● May 2, 2017

Thousands of office workers rush past it every day without noticing its three bay windows carved as the sterns of baroque frigates, complete with waves, dolphins and trailing seaweed.

From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2015

When seventeenth-century European sailors first saw the southern skies they put objects of seventeenth- century interest in the heavens—toucans and peacocks, telescopes and microscopes, compasses and the sterns of ships.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Fireworks can frighten animals and send them scattering, but Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets apparently are made of sterner stuff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

After the seven-time champion produced a statement performance against former top-10 player Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, Djokovic had to overcome a far sterner test on his return to Centre Court.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Rosenior will face a sterner test in his first home game on Wednesday when Chelsea host Premier League leaders Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final first leg.

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

But it remains to be seen whether this president and the country he leads are ready for the sterner tests to come.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025

Having capitulated on the hair question, Dad put up an even sterner resistance against any future changes in dress.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

It was probably the sternest test the Americans have faced in the tournament.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

The blockage in the Persian Gulf poses the sternest test the reserves have ever faced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

The challenge comes just as investors’ appetite for risk, and sentiment regarding tech stocks, face their sternest tests since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

In death penalty cases, the legal system is put to its sternest test.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2025

He answered me in a way that I did not understand, but with the sternest look that his face could wear:—

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker




Vocabulary lists containing stern


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