aurora

noun

au·​ro·​ra ə-ˈrȯr-ə 

ȯ-

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

auroral

ə-ˈrȯr-əl 

ȯ-

adjective

aurorean

ə-ˈrȯr-ē-ən 

ȯ-

adjective

Synonyms

• cockcrow
• dawn
• dawning
• day
• daybreak
• daylight
• light
• morn
• morning
• sun
• sunrise
• sunup

Examples of aurora in a Sentence

a gorgeous pink aurora aroused us out of our slumber

Recent Examples on the Web

The exact times of displays of the aurora are difficult to forecast more than a few minutes in advance. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

Northern lights activity on rise amid solar maximum The aurora borealis, a natural light display in Earth's sky famously best seen near our planet's poles, spent 2024 cropping up in a wider swath of the northern hemisphere. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024

One sign of this is the aurora borealis, or northern lights, in Earth’s atmosphere. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024

Since the Kp index scale goes up to nine, these indexes mean the aurora could be dimmer, according to the NOAA. —Cailey Gleeson, Journal Sentinel, 11 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin — more at east

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing aurora

• aurora australis
• aurora borealis

Kids Definition

aurora

noun

au·​ro·​ra ə-ˈrōr-ə 

ȯ-ˈrōr-,

-ˈrȯr-

plural auroras or aurorae -ē 

1

: dawn entry 2 sense 1

2

: aurora borealis

3

: aurora australis

auroral

-əl 

adjective

Geographical 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