polar bear

noun

: a large creamy-white carnivorous bear (Ursus maritimus synonym Thalarctos maritimus) that inhabits arctic regions

Illustration of polar bear

Illustration of polar bear

Examples of polar bear 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.
The archives of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) hold countless intriguing artifacts, including souvenir soaps shaped like polar bears, an ostrich egg from the 1930s and—as employees recently discovered—more than 200 mysterious film reels. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2025 His pole-dancing polar bear — a legless white beast posed like a defeated stripper — disarms the familiar. Petala Ironcloud, New York Times, 1 May 2025 Man drops gun, flees charging polar bear in Norway Dramatic video captures a man's escape from a polar bear in Pyramiden, a town in Norway's archipelago of Svalbard. Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2025 For context, that's over twice as long as brown and polar bears are estimated to have been distinct species. John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for polar bear

Word History

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of polar bear was in 1769

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Cite this Entry

“Polar bear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polar%20bear. Accessed 18 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

polar bear

noun
: a large creamy-white fish-eating bear that lives in arctic regions

More from Merriam-Webster on polar bear

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