white bear

American  

noun

1. polar bear.

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white bear British  

noun

1. another name for polar bear

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Etymology

Origin of white bear

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Over the course of five minutes, the experimental subjects were to ring a bell if a white bear came to mind.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2022

In “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” a Norwegian story, a father signs his daughter over to a large white bear in exchange for a promise of riches.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 27, 2017

They’re known as pizzlies or grolars, and they’re a fusion of the Arctic white bear and their brown cousins.

From Washington Post • May 23, 2016

We have … uh, really, quite a number of toys,” he said as he grabbed a stuffed white bear.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2015

Here and there a light flickered under a snow-thick roof, and Lyra thought she saw pale faces behind some of the windowpanes, and imagined their astonishment to see a child riding a great white bear.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman