- (v.t.) The hinder part of anything.
- (v.t.) The helm or tiller of a vessel or boat; also, the rudder.
- (v.t.) The tail of an animal; -- now used only of the tail of a dog.
- (n.) The black tern.
- (superl.) Having a certain hardness or severity of nature, manner or aspect; hard; severe; rigid; rigorous; austere; fixed; unchanging; unrelenting; hence, serious; resolute; harsh; as, a sternresolve; a stern necessity; a stern heart; a stern gaze; a stern decree.
- (v.t.) Fig.: The post of management or direction.
- (a.) Being in the stern or being astern; as, the stern davits.
- (v.t.) The after or rear end of a ship or other vessel or of a boat; the part opposite to the stem or prow.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). stern. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/stern/definitions/2066368 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "stern" http://smartdefine.org/stern/definitions/2066368 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, stern, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/stern/definitions/2066368>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "stern" 28 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/stern/definitions/2066368> |