pole

1 of 4

noun (1)

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 (16¹/₂ 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

pole

2 of 4

verb

poled; poling

transitive verb

1
: to act upon with a pole
2
: to impel or push with a pole

intransitive verb

1
: to propel a boat with a pole
2
: to use ski poles to gain speed

pole

3 of 4

noun (2)

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

Pole

4 of 4

noun (3)

1
: a native or inhabitant of Poland
2
: a person of Polish descent
Phrases
poles apart
: diametrically opposed

Examples of pole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
At some point lost to history, an unknown party carted a pile of these poles on to Kingman Island and left them there to rot. Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Verizon says the cell phone poles are needed to boost its Deer District signal. Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 The truck’s front left wheel and the poles that hold the hotel’s sign sustained damage from the crash, according to KTLA. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 The truck also damaged the poles holding up the sign as well as the pink sidewalk wall in front of it, according to images from the scene. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Caruth had won the first Truck Series pole of his career earlier on Friday, finishing 0.001 seconds ahead of Christian Eckes. Wayne Sterling, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Usually these light displays are visible only at the poles, but during severe geomagnetic storms, the aurora can be seen closer to the equator. Kim Beil, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 However, around 250 seats went from having an obstructed to unobstructed view thanks to the removal of the two pesky poles, Travis said. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Feb. 2024 His fishing pole will never be picked up by him again. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
The Dane’s lap then put him to pole, with the Mexican driver, still searching for his first pole of the year. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 15 July 2023 But, at the end of the day, finishing first in your respective conference goes a long way for the voting party, which Denver has seemingly done pole to pole this season. Tyler Small, Forbes, 31 Mar. 2023 Being an island at a reasonably high latitude means rockets can launch north over uninhabited ocean, entering into orbit from pole to pole around our planet. WIRED, 23 Sep. 2022 Columbia, then Rodinia and most recently Pangea, which formed about 335 million years ago, stretching from pole to pole along the longitudes of the mid-Atlantic. Jack Feerick, Discover Magazine, 25 Oct. 2020 His plan is to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe from east to west and pole to pole without the help of motors, sails, or solar energy. The Editors, Outside Online, 17 Nov. 2014 The guide will pole the skiff along on the shallow flats from a platform at the back of the boat, while the angler stands ready to cast from the front. Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2021 Beyond Gatun the river current was stronger, and the boatmen needed all their strength to pole the bungos upstream. Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, 2 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English pāl stake, pole, from Latin palus stake; akin to Latin pangere to fix — more at pact

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Latin polus, from Greek polos pivot, pole; akin to Greek pelesthai to become, Sanskrit carati he moves, wanders — more at wheel

Noun (3)

German, of Slavic origin; akin to Polish Polak Pole, Polska Poland, pole field

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1573, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pole was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near pole

Cite this Entry

“Pole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pole. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pole

1 of 4 noun
1
: 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 noun
1
: 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

noun
1
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

Biographical Definition

Pole

biographical name

ˈpōl How to pronounce Pole (audio)
ˈpül
Reginald 1500–1558 English cardinal; archbishop of Canterbury (1556–58)

More from Merriam-Webster on pole

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