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teddy bear

American  

noun

  • teddy bears
    plural
  1. a toy bear, especially a stuffed one.


teddy bear British  

noun

  1. Often shortened to: teddy.  a stuffed toy bear made from soft or fluffy material

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of teddy bear

1905–10, after Theodore Roosevelt, called Teddy, who is said to have saved the life of a bear cub while hunting

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.

See Examples For:

A lit candle flickered among the flowers, where a teddy bear was also perched.

From BBC Jul. 15, 2026

Neighbours had recovered a kids' bicycle, damaged, and a purple teddy bear, which was covered with dust.

From BBC May 13, 2026

Meanwhile, Camilla will mark the 100th birthday of fictional teddy bear Winnie the Pooh at the New York Public Library, where she is expected to gift a specially made toy of the character Roo.

From Barron's Apr. 29, 2026

The men first met only after Milne bought a teddy bear at Harrods for his infant son’s first birthday in 1921 and, during a rainy holiday, wrote a few poems for children.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 9, 2026

I had just untied the last teddy bear when I heard Richie clomping up the stairs.

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

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