polar bear

American  

noun

polar bears plural

1. a large white bear, Ursus maritimus, of the Arctic regions.

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polar bear British  

noun

1. a white carnivorous bear, Thalarctos maritimus, of coastal regions of the North Pole

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• polar bears
  plural

Etymology

Origin of polar bear

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Her social media feed piled up with video after video of polar bear rescues, such as fishermen or scientists hauling a freezing, struggling baby polar bear onto a ship.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

A polar bear suffers through an existential crisis of faith after realizing that he prefers Pepsi Max to Coke Zero.

From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026

Except for the roaring polar bear emblem - a symbol of Greenland, etched onto every sliding glass doors we pass.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

Soon he is inviting the polar bear to come for a ride.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

The big polar bear started to circle them, but they couldn’t retreat any farther.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz