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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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

Carbon that was previously locked in the soil can then reach the Arctic Ocean through rivers and coastal erosion.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 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

The second project also involves the building of an all-season road, about 140 miles, in Nunavut that would provide access to a proposed deep water port and aerodrome on the Arctic Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Sixty B-52s, loaded with hydrogen bombs, circled the outside edges of the Soviet Union—above the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland, above the Mediterranean Sea, above the western coast of Alaska.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin