polar bear

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of polar bear

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Forget, for now, that “polar bear” ocean swim.

From Los Angeles Times

Researchers tracking wild polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something exceedingly rare this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.

From BBC

A few days before Christmas, Dasher is soaring alone through skies illuminated by the northern lights when, upon landing, she meets a polar bear.

From The Wall Street Journal

After the speakers and musical performances wrapped, the Miss Piggies and the inflatable eagles, polar bears, frogs, sharks, foxes and at least one Cookie Monster lined up behind the Handmaids and began to march.

From Salon

She's building a traditional Greenlandic sleigh by hand from wood, with a polar bear drawn on the front.

From BBC