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

Greenland would be happy for the US to increase its military presence on the island, he said, with the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean "becoming much more of a military threat".

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

"No matter how many aircraft carriers you have and how much you use them to threaten states with, you cannot sail your aircraft carrier into the central Arctic Ocean," she says.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026

Greenland sits where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Arctic Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Greenland, located just north of eastern Canada, is a crucial gateway to the Arctic Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

She reached for one of the papers and read aloud: “‘On May seventeenth, Ronald Taylor jumped into the Arctic Ocean yelling “Sea unicorn!” and he startled a narwhal.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi