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Teen Common

Teen has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Adjective

Definitions
Noun
1

a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity

"The school counselor noticed that many teens in her office were struggling to navigate the emotional turbulence of early adolescence."

2

A teenager.

"She spent her entire teenage years dealing with so much teen that it seemed like never-ending trouble."

3

Grief; sorrow; trouble.

In plain English: A teen is a person who is between 13 and 19 years old.

"She has three teenage children living at home."

Verb
1

To excite; to provoke; to vex; to afflict; to injure.

"The farmer decided to teen his new pasture with sturdy wooden posts before planting the crops."

2

To hedge or fence in; to enclose.

In plain English: To teen means to act like a teenager, usually by being rebellious or acting immature.

"The new employee is still learning how to teen up to the company's specific software requirements."

Adjective
1

being of the age 13 through 19

"teenage mothers"

"the teen years"

2

Of or having to do with teenagers; teenage

"The teen fashion trends at that mall are completely different from what my parents wore when they were young."

In plain English: Teen means something that is related to teenagers or their age group.

"She bought some new teen clothes for her daughter's birthday party."

Usage: Use "teen" as an adjective before nouns like teen driver or teen movie, but remember it is informal and should not be used after the noun. It functions identically to "teenage," though speakers often prefer the shorter form in casual conversation.

Example Sentences
"She bought some new teen clothes for her daughter's birthday party." adj
"She has three teenage children living at home." noun
"The new employee is still learning how to teen up to the company's specific software requirements." verb
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)

Origin

The word teen is a shortened form of teenager that entered common usage to refer simply to the age group itself. It dropped the suffix "-er" to create a concise label for anyone in their teens.

Rhyming Words
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