Jump To:

• auburn
  auburn

  noun

  a reddish-brown or golden-brown color.
• Auburn
  Auburn

  noun

  a city in central New York: state prison.

auburn

¹ American  

[aw-bern] / ˈɔ bərn /

noun

1. a reddish-brown or golden-brown color.

---

adjective

1. having auburn color.

   auburn hair.

Auburn ² American  

[aw-bern] / ˈɔ bərn /

noun

1. a city in central New York: state prison.

2. a city in E Alabama.

3. a city in W central Washington.

4. a city in SW Maine, on the Androscoggin River.

5. a city in central Massachusetts.

---

auburn British  

/ ˈɔːbən /

noun

1. 1. a moderate reddish-brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      auburn hair

---

Etymology

Origin of auburn

1400–50; late Middle English abo ( u ) rne blond < Middle French, Old French auborne, alborne < Latin alburnus whitish. See alburnum

Explanation

Auburn is a reddish-brown color. If you ask a hairdresser to color your hair auburn, you'll be disappointed to end up with bright red curls. Auburn almost always describes hair color — you might talk about your favorite childhood doll's long auburn hair, for example. The earliest meaning of auburn was "yellowish-white," not "reddish-brown," from the Medieval Latin alburnus, "off-white" or "whitish," from the Latin albus, or "white." In the 16th century it was influenced by the Middle English word brun, "brown," and the meaning changed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

auburn Auburn

Every autumn, as leaves turn from green to auburn and float to the ground, we turn into a nation of outdoor undertakers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025

The land was auburn coloured, covered with dried stalks of recently cut corn, good fodder for hungry sheep.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024

“Reminded me of someone I knew back when. Except she has flaming locks of auburn hair. Bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color, but it hurts just the same.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2024

Martin's long, auburn curls fell out, and her memory was slipping.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2023

His mother was still beautiful, though her face was a bit wrinkled and cracked with powder, and her auburn hair had a few silver streaks.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

At Auburn, he had smashed college records set by the likes of Tiger Woods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Miami Dolphins: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn — Dolphins are a trade-up candidate, but they are sorely in need of pass-rush help.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

But Cook is also an Auburn University man, who graduated from the state’s second university in 1982.

From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026

A study from Auburn University, published in July last year, looked at the viewing behaviours of 453 dogs through surveys completed by their owners.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026

The trip was without incident until we changed buses at Auburn.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin