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Polaris

American

[poh-lair-is, -lar-, puh-] / poʊˈlɛər ɪs, -ˈlær-, pə- /

noun

Astronomy. the polestar or North Star, a star of the second magnitude situated close to the north pole of the heavens, in the constellation Ursa Minor: the outermost star in the handle of the Little Dipper.
a two-stage U.S. ballistic missile, usually fired from a submerged submarine.

Polaris British

/ pəˈlɑːrɪs /

noun

Also called: the Pole Star. the North Star. the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor, situated slightly less than 1° from the north celestial pole. It is a Cepheid variable, with a period of four days. Visual magnitude: 2.08–2.17; spectral type: F8Ib
1. a type of US two-stage intermediate-range ballistic missile, usually fired by a submerged submarine
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a Polaris submarine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Polaris Scientific

/ pə-lăr′ĭs /

A bright star at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper in the constellation Ursa Minor. Polaris is 1° from the north celestial pole, and it remains in the same location in the sky all year, making it a useful navigation tool. Polaris is actually a double star with a faint companion star and has an apparent magnitude of 2.04. Also called North Star. Scientific name: Alpha Ursae Minoris.

Etymology

Origin of Polaris

1955–60; short for Medieval Latin stella polāris polar star

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A round-trip United Polaris ticket between San Francisco and Singapore in early June — one of the premium-class routes featuring the new suites — can cost upwards of $9,000.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

Reserving a Polaris Studio suite on top of that fare carries a $499 surcharge per segment, according to the Points Guy travel site.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

Along with Polaris, shares of BRP advanced 7.8% to $54.90 on Thursday.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

I skipped most of the prelanding salad I ordered to save room for the Polaris lounge on my layover.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Not the least of them was a prototype of Polaris, the submarine-based warhead for the navy, Livermore’s important new government patron.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023