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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.

See Examples For:

After what appears to be a stern challenge against New Zealand in their home summer, Cummins' men then travel to India and defend the Ashes in England next year.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

It’s fair to assume many of us require a stern talking-to, like dogs who need their pills hidden inside the cheese that is Cruise’s Mr. Movies persona.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

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

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

A stern woman in a red sweater drops a new stack of Enigma messages into the tray on my desk.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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

What Thursday brings is undoubtedly a sterner test for O'Neill and Celtic with Portuguese giants Benfica lying in wait in the Europa League.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

With his latest, “Kontinental ’25,” Jude — who also put out a coarsely wacky version of “Dracula” last year — shifts away from clownishness and toward a sterner register of concern for society.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

Much sterner tests lie ahead for Rosenior, starting with a visit from Premier League leaders Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

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

He spent that afternoon with his orphans, even took up sword and shield himself to provide a sterner test for a few of the older lads.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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 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

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




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