Polaris

American  

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

noun

1. 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.

2. a two-stage U.S. ballistic missile, usually fired from a submerged submarine.

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Polaris British  

/ pəˈlɑːrɪs /

noun

1. 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

2. 1. a type of US two-stage intermediate-range ballistic missile, usually fired by a submerged submarine

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Polaris submarine

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Polaris Scientific  

/ pə-lăr′ĭs /

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of Polaris

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Polaris

If you think that sounds a lot like Delta One, American Flagship and United’s Polaris, you’re right.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Alaska flight was the cheapest splurge of the bunch, excluding the $939 last-minute upgrade to United Polaris from London to San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

Polaris said Thursday that tariff policies, excluding possible refunds, will not have a “material impact” to its full-year 2026 guidance.

From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026

Livermore continued to work on Polaris during the moratorium, then followed with the next-generation submarine-launched nuclear missile, Poseidon.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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