Ursa Major

noun

Ur·​sa Ma·​jor ˌər-sə-ˈmā-jər 

: a constellation that is the most conspicuous of the northern constellations, is situated near the north pole of the heavens, and contains the stars forming the Big Dipper two of which are in a line indicating the direction of the North Star

called also Great Bear

Examples of Ursa Major in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Executive producers include Zapruder Films’ Matthew Miller and Matt Johnson, Charles Cohen, and LaBelle, along with Ursa Major’s Jasmin Kar, Sam Sutcliffe, and Dias Tobizarov. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2025

The fractured comet is currently too dim to be seen by the naked eye, but can still be spotted with the aid of a small backyard telescope close to the stars of the famous Big Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Major, or captured in long exposure photography! —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Nov. 2025

But Ursa Major’s Golden Hour Body Serum takes the guesswork out of the equation. —Essence, 30 Sep. 2025

Ursa Major calls Draper a tactical offshoot of its earlier Hadley rocket motor, which has been used in hypersonic test vehicles. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin (genitive Ursae Majoris), literally, greater bear

First Known Use

circa 1627, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Ursa Major

• ager
• gauger
• pager
• stager
• wager
• yager
• teenager

Kids Definition

Ursa Major

noun

Ur·​sa Ma·​jor ˌər-sə-ˈmā-jər 

: the northern group of stars that is the easiest to pick out, is located near the north pole of the heavens, and contains the stars forming the Big Dipper two of which are in a line pointing in the direction of the North Star

called also Great Bear