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

In the mid-1980s scientists conducted a famous experiment in which they asked participants to try to avoid thinking of a white bear.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2022

As his wife, Paula, tells it, he was often accompanied by a furrier named Zlotnik, whose store, at 12th and G streets NW, was guarded by a giant white bear.

From Washington Post • Oct. 28, 2020

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

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

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2015

Out across the water, on the point of shoreline near the opening of the bay, a massive white bear stood as motionless as a statue, facing him.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen