plural auroras or aurorae
ə-ˈrȯr-(ˌ)ē 
ȯ-
1
: dawn
2
capitalized
: the Roman goddess of dawn compare eos
3
: a luminous phenomenon that consists of streamers or arches of light appearing in the upper atmosphere of a planet's magnetic polar regions and is caused by the emission of light from atoms excited by electrons accelerated along the planet's magnetic field lines
Synonyms
Examples of aurora in a Sentence
a gorgeous pink aurora aroused us out of our slumber
Recent Examples on the Web
Paradoxically, though, while looking at your phone may make the aurora borealis hard to see, using that phone to take a photo can actually capture them more dramatically.
—
Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 1 June 2024
The rare astronomical event, also known as the aurora borealis, may occur late Friday and into Saturday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center announced on Wednesday.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 31 May 2024
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS, on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this image of the aurora borealis at 3:20 a.m.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2024
The aurora borealis over Jericho Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada on May 10, 2024.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for aurora 
Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 1 June 2024
The rare astronomical event, also known as the aurora borealis, may occur late Friday and into Saturday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center announced on Wednesday.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 31 May 2024
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS, on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this image of the aurora borealis at 3:20 a.m.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2024
The aurora borealis over Jericho Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada on May 10, 2024.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for aurora
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aurora.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to aurora
Dictionary Entries Near aurora
Cite this Entry
“Aurora.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aurora. Accessed 11 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationGeographical Definition
Aurora
geographical name
Au·ro·ra
ə-ˈrȯr-ə
ȯ-
1
city in north central Colorado east of Denver population 325,078
2
city west of Chicago in northeastern Illinois population 197,899
3
town north of Toronto in southeastern Ontario, Canada population 53,203
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share