polar bear

American  

noun

• polar bears
  plural

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

---

polar bear British  

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• polar bears
  plural

Etymology

Origin of polar bear

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polar bear

In a statement, governor Lars Fause said when the vessel sailed past the animal "its occupants are said to have spotted a polar bear sleeping on land".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

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

And if, during the first few minutes of your chat, you find yourself unable to stop staring, unable to overlook the fact that Duane is a polar bear, do not worry.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el