arctic circle

noun, often capitalized A&C

Definition of arctic circle

: the parallel of latitude that is approximately 66¹/₂ degrees north of the equator and that circumscribes the northern frigid zone

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Recent Examples of arctic circle from the Web

As such, evergreen forests grow not only up through Europe, but all the way up to the arctic circle.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Climate Change Made Zombie Ants Even More Cunning," 29 May 2018
Built when the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was laid, the highway stretches through forested hills, traverses the Yukon River, and enters the arctic circle before ending at the Arctic Ocean.

— Sunset, "7 Best BLM Camping Spots," 22 Jan. 2018
Located at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike Rivers, only 165 miles south of the arctic circle, Dawson was founded after news of gold along the Yukon River brought prospectors pouring into town, the population swelling to 30,000.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "How Bill Morrison makes magic with found footage," 27 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arctic circle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.