: any of various eared seals that have a double coat with a dense soft underfur and were hunted especially formerly for their desirable pelts:
a
: a large seal (Callorhinus ursinus) of the northern Pacific Ocean having its main breeding rookery on Pribilof Island in the Bering Sea
called alsonorthern fur seal
b
: any of a genus (Arctocephalus) of seals chiefly of the southern hemisphere
called alsosouthern fur seal
Illustration of fur seal
Examples of fur seal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
New Zealand fur seals can reach up to 8 feet long for males and 5 feet long for females, and they are found on the rocky shores of the country’s mainland as well as around the Chatham Islands and across larger bodies of water in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025 The Guadalupe fur seal pups, named Campanelli and Orecchiette, were released back into the ocean after three months of rehabilitation, according to a marine wildlife hospital in Washington.—Mason Leath, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2025 For countless centuries, this rocky outcrop has hosted generations of fur seals alongside soaring seabirds and colorful fish, with each species contributing to the rich biodiversity that’s become world-renowned across the Western Cape.—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 When Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation creating the department, in 1903, it was tasked with applying immigration law, taking the census, and protecting Alaskan fur seals.—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 21 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for fur seal
Share