teddy bear

American  

noun

1. a toy bear, especially a stuffed one.

---

teddy bear British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: teddy.  a stuffed toy bear made from soft or fluffy material

---

Etymology

Origin of teddy bear

1905–10, after Theodore Roosevelt, called Teddy, who is said to have saved the life of a bear cub while hunting

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, Camilla will mark the 100th birthday of fictional teddy bear Winnie the Pooh at the New York Public Library, where she is expected to gift a specially made toy of the character Roo.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

The men first met only after Milne bought a teddy bear at Harrods for his infant son’s first birthday in 1921 and, during a rainy holiday, wrote a few poems for children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Out the corner of my eye, I noticed this teddy bear chair in one of the waiting rooms we were passing by.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

Miedema once revealed, external that she brought a teddy bear to Euro 2017 and a coffee cup to the Olympics in Tokyo as they reminded her of home.

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2025

“When you were four, you named your teddy bear Beary. And last year, when that stray cat kept coming into our yard, you named her Patches.”

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold