Definition

1. Noun (plural):
   • The period of life between the ages of 13 and 19: Refers specifically to the years of one's life when their age ends with "-teen" (thirteen to nineteen).
   • The numbers 13 through 19: Can refer to the set of numbers themselves.

Usage

• The word "teens" is almost always used in its plural form.
• It commonly follows a possessive pronoun (e.g., , ) or a preposition (e.g., , ).
• It refers to the entire age range or a point within it.

Examples

• Referring to the age period:
  • She is in her teens. (She is between 13 and 19 years old.)
  • He spent most of his teens traveling with his family.
  • I learned to drive in my late teens.
• Referring to the numbers:
  • The temperature is expected to be in the teens tonight. (The temperature will be between 13 and 19 degrees.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be in one's teens": to be a teenager.
  • Their daughter is still in her teens.
• "early/mid/late teens": used to be more specific about the part of the teenage years.
  • He started writing music in his early teens.
  • She moved to the city in her late teens.

Variants and Related Words

• Teen (noun, informal): Short for "teenager."
  • The movie is popular with teens.
• Teenage (adjective): Of or relating to teenagers.
  • She has three teenage children.
• Teenager (noun): A person aged between 13 and 19.
  • The program is designed for teenagers.

Synonyms

• Adolescence: The period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult. (This is a more formal, developmental term.)
• Youth: The time of life when one is young; often a broader term than "teens."

Antonyms

• Adulthood: The state or period of being fully grown and mature.
• Childhood: The state or period of being a child.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "Out of one's teens": No longer a teenager; having reached the age of 20 or older.
  • He's just out of his teens and starting his career.
• "Tender teens": (Literary) Emphasizes the youthfulness and vulnerability of the teenage years.
  • She wrote about the struggles of the tender teens.

Noun

1. all the numbers that end in -teen
2. the time of life between the ages of 12 and 20