1
a
: a long slender usually cylindrical object (such as a length of wood)
b
: a shaft which extends from the front axle of a wagon between wheelhorses and by which the wagon is drawn : tongue
c
: a long staff of wood, metal, or fiberglass used in the pole vault
2
: a varying unit of length
especially
: one equal to a rod (16½ feet or about 5 meters)
3
: a tree with a breast-high diameter of from 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters)
4
: the inside front row position on the starting line for a race
poled; poling
1
: either extremity of an axis of a sphere and especially of the earth's axis
2
a
: either of two related opposites
b
: a point of guidance or attraction
3
a
: either of the two terminals of an electric cell, battery, generator, or motor
b
: one of two or more regions in a magnetized body at which the magnetic flux density is concentrated
4
: either of two morphologically or physiologically differentiated areas at opposite ends of an axis in an organism or cell see blastula illustration
5
a
: the fixed point in a system of polar coordinates that serves as the origin
b
: the point of origin of two tangents to a conic section that determine a polar
see also poles apart
Examples of pole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
That’s because Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old legend racing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, violently crashed just 13 seconds into her race, losing control on the first jump as her pole hit a gate, turning sideways in the air and slamming to the ground.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Vonn had registered the fastest time at the first checkpoint and then landed a jump off balance, lifted her left arm and pole high into the air in an attempt to regain her balance.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The bamboo poles were soaked in water and smoked before use, a traditional Vietnamese treatment that increases the material’s durability and can last up to half a century, the architect said.
—Faye Bradley, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pole
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Noun
The guys in blue kick toward the yellow poles but the guys in white just kick it back across the field.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
That’s because Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old legend racing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, violently crashed just 13 seconds into her race, losing control on the first jump as her pole hit a gate, turning sideways in the air and slamming to the ground.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
The textbooks currently state that Jupiter is 88,846 miles (142,984 kilometers) across at its equator, and 83,082 miles (133,708 km) from pole to pole.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Vonn had registered the fastest time at the first checkpoint and then landed a jump off balance, lifted her left arm and pole high into the air in an attempt to regain her balance.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
What To Know The authority plans to open six separate competitive procurements for domestic manufacturers to supply rail, ties, ballast, overhead contact system poles and fiber optic cable, among other components, the agency said in a news release on Thursday.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The bamboo poles were soaked in water and smoked before use, a traditional Vietnamese treatment that increases the material’s durability and can last up to half a century, the architect said.
—Faye Bradley, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pole
Cite this Entry
“Pole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pole. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pole
1 of 4 noun1
: a long slender piece of material (as wood or metal)
telephone poles
2
pole
2 of 4 verb
poled; poling
: to push or move with a pole
pole a boat
poler
noun
pole
3 of 4 noun1
: either end of an axis of a globe and especially of the earth's axis
2
a
: one of the two terminals of an electric cell or battery
b
: one of two or more regions in a magnetized body at which the magnetism seems to be concentrated
3
: either of two specialized areas at opposite ends of an axis in an organism or cell
chromosomes moving toward the poles of a dividing cell
Pole
4 of 4 noun
: a person born or living in Poland
Etymology
Noun
Old English pāl "stake, pole"
Noun
Middle English pool "axis of the earth," from Latin polus (same meaning), from Greek polos "pivot, pole"
Medical Definition
pole
noun1
a
: either of the two terminals of an electric cell, battery, generator, or motor
b
: one of two or more regions in a magnetized body at which the magnetic flux density is concentrated
2
: either of two morphologically or physiologically differentiated areas at opposite ends of an axis in an organism, organ, or cell see animal pole, vegetal pole
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