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

Thankfully that never happened thanks to the ship’s stabilizers, allowing me to traverse sea ice, view an unsuccessful polar bear hunt, and photograph wildlife from whales to walruses in comfort.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

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

Rana likes to follow polar bear tracks and listen to her mother’s stories: “Stories about the old ice, the long long polar night, the Great Bear and how snow foxes make light with their tails.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 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

“That polar bear back there, he can’t even feel the cold,” Owen said.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz