fur seal

noun

: 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 also northern fur seal

b

: any of a genus (Arctocephalus) of seals chiefly of the southern hemisphere

called also southern fur seal

Illustration of fur seal

Examples of fur seal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Home of a fur seal trade leading to an almost extinction of seals, a whaling station, and then many volcanic eruptions leading to the destruction of scientific stations, this island looks like it is cursed. — New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026

From the shipwrecks and fur seal colonies of the Skeleton Coast to Lake Bogoria’s flamingos, Victoria Falls, and the geological formations of the Rift Valley, these spectacles are even more dramatic from above. — Emily Baldwin, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2026

During the 1982-1983 El Niño, sea birds on Christmas Island abandoned chicks to search for food and fur seal and sea lions were starving in Peru. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 30 July 2026

New Zealand boasts more than 200,000 fur seals in its waters, a population that’s only just bounced back after millions were hunted into near extinction by European sealers in the early 1800s. — Todd Symons, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fur seal

• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal
• cornmeal
• flywheel
• genteel

Kids Definition

fur seal

noun

: any of various eared seals with a dense soft undercoat