South Pole

American  

noun

1. Geography. the southern end of the earth's axis, the southernmost point on earth.

2. Astronomy. the point at which the axis of the earth extended cuts the southern half of the celestial sphere; the south celestial pole.

3. (lowercase) the pole of a magnet that seeks the earth's south magnetic pole.

4. (lowercase) magnetic pole1

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South Pole British  

noun

1. the southernmost point on the earth's axis, at the latitude of 90°S

2. astronomy the point of intersection, in the constellation Octans, of the earth's extended axis and the southern half of the celestial sphere

3. (usually not capitals) the south-seeking pole of a freely suspended magnet

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South Pole Scientific  

1. The southern end of the Earth's axis of rotation, located at 90° south latitude at a point in Antarctica.

2. See more at axis

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South Pole Cultural  

1. The southern end or pole of the Earth's axis (see also axis). (See Antarctic and Antarctica.)

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Etymology

Origin of South Pole

1585–95, South Pole for def. 1

Example Sentences

Beijing is also targeting the lunar South Pole, not least for its rich natural resource potential.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

For instance, traveling from the North Pole to the South Pole along Earth's surface follows a semicircle, which represents the shortest possible route on a sphere.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

The problem is that rhumb lines aren’t lines; they’re spirals that wind toward the North or South Pole.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026

As Mr. Sorkin notes, the New York Times’s top story of 1929 was not the crash but Richard Byrd’s flight to the South Pole.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

He remembered how the South Pole penguins always did this to find out what danger lay below.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater