south pole

noun

|Updated on: 7 Jul 2018

Definition of south pole

1 a often capitalized S&P : the southernmost point of the earth

b : the zenith of the heavens as viewed from the south terrestrial pole

2 of a magnet : the pole that points toward the south

See south pole defined for kids

Recent Examples of south pole from the Web

Vesta is also known for having one of the tallest peaks ever seen by humans, a 13-mile high mountain that stands on its south pole.

— Fox News, "'Monster' asteroid 4 times than the UK is so close to Earth you can see it - and here's how," 27 June 2018
Earth’s rotational axis — the imaginary line through our planet’s center and the geographic north and south poles — isn’t exactly at a right angle to the path of its orbit around the sun.

— tom metcalfe /, NBC News, "What is the summer solstice?," 20 June 2018
Alexander said that in a summer in Ohio, the north pole is pointing towards the sun and the south pole is tipped away.

— madeline mitchell, Cincinnati.com, "Summer solstice: What is it and why does it happen?," 20 June 2018
The icebergs and the frozen caps in the north and south poles are melting and sea levels are going to rise.

— rene rodriguez, miamiherald, "Miami's condo king breaks silence on sea level rise comment: 'Maybe I had too many drinks'," 31 May 2018
Scientists have suspected since 2012 that Europa might harbor plumes, after the Hubble Space Telescope observed water vapor spouting above the moon's frigid south pole.

— sarah kaplan, courant.com, "Scientists discover new evidence for plumes on Europa, a target in the search for life," 14 May 2018
Scientists have suspected since 2012 that Europa might harbor plumes, after the Hubble Space Telescope observed water vapor spouting above the moon's frigid south pole.

— sarah kaplan, ajc, "Scientists discover new evidence for jets of water on Europa, a target in the search for life," 14 May 2018
At the moon's south pole, Cassini's high-resolution camera sighted such a liquid body close to the size of Lake Ontario (and hence named Ontario Lacus) amid a district of smaller similar features.

— carolyn porco, Scientific American, "Cassini at Saturn: A Retrospective," 1 Oct. 2017
The out-of-this-world images, which are derived from data collected from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, show a multitude of massive cyclones on Jupiter, churning around the planet’s north and south poles.

— Time, "Cyclones on Jupiter Seen in Dramatic New NASA Images," 9 Mar. 2018

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