Arctic Ocean

American  

[ahrk-tik oh-shuhn, ahr-tik] / ˈɑrk tɪk ˈoʊ ʃən, ˈɑr tɪk /

noun

1. the smallest of the world’s five principal oceans, located north of North America, Asia, and the Arctic Circle, with its deepest section within the Greenland Sea. 6,007,000 square miles (15,558,000 square kilometers).

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Arctic Ocean British  

noun

1. the ocean surrounding the North Pole, north of the Arctic Circle. Area: about 14 100 000 sq km (5 440 000 sq miles)

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Arctic Ocean Cultural  

1. The cold, ice-covered waters surrounding the North Pole, located entirely within the Arctic Circle. It contains the northernmost islands of Canada, Norway, and Russia.

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Discover More

Most of the Arctic Ocean is covered by solid ice, ice floes, and icebergs.

Etymology

Origin of Arctic Ocean

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Arctic Ocean

Much of the sea ice that remains today is younger and thinner than the multiyear ice that was once far more widespread across the Arctic Ocean.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Another, a Navy veteran, recounts an unimaginable nightmare aboard an abandoned ship in the Arctic Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

A larger "warning zone" up to Norway's Jan Mayen islands in the Arctic Ocean would also be in place, with flights re-routed.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

The Arctic Ocean also saw its second-lowest sea ice extent for the month of May.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

There she would meet the North Star, the ship that brings supplies from the States to the towns on the Arctic Ocean in August when the ice pack breaks up.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George