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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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First, Newton said, it’s hard to make a businesses on the border of California and Nevada choose California, with its higher taxes and stern regulatory environment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

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

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

Seen with the naked eye from the stern of our 40-foot tour boat, the dark blobs bobbing in the restless sea didn’t look like much.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 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

Christopher saw Irian watching, the hint of a smile at her mouth, as six stern seamstresses circled the Berserker with pins.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

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

They are long, with pointed sterns and elaborately painted bodies.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Wach has lost seven of his past 10 fights and is a significant underdog on paper, but Fury insisted the veteran presents a sterner test than Joshua's opponent, Albanian Prenga.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

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

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

‘Go now and rest as you may. Tomorrow’s need will be sterner.’

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

The Islamic Republic's system faces its sternest test.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 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

Elizabeth looks at him over her knitting, sizing him up with narrowed eyes that remind him of his sternest teachers, though he stands much taller than she does.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern




Vocabulary lists containing stern


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