Arctic Ocean

American  

[ahrk-tik oh-shuhn, ahr-tik] / ˈɑrk tɪk ˈoʊ ʃən, ˈɑr tɪk /

noun

1. the smallest of the world’s five principal oceans, located north of North America, Asia, and the Arctic Circle, with its deepest section within the Greenland Sea. 6,007,000 square miles (15,558,000 square kilometers).

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Arctic Ocean British  

noun

1. the ocean surrounding the North Pole, north of the Arctic Circle. Area: about 14 100 000 sq km (5 440 000 sq miles)

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Arctic Ocean Cultural  

1. The cold, ice-covered waters surrounding the North Pole, located entirely within the Arctic Circle. It contains the northernmost islands of Canada, Norway, and Russia.

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Discover More

Most of the Arctic Ocean is covered by solid ice, ice floes, and icebergs.

Etymology

Origin of Arctic Ocean

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

Almost two dozen white boxes to the east, southeast and across the Arctic Ocean from Svalbard marked the locations of Russian military bases.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Adding to the dangers, an increasingly open Arctic Ocean invites extreme waves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is often seen as an environmental catastrophe.

From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025

In July, long-range bombers from both countries provocatively patrolled the Arctic Ocean near Alaska in the United States.

From BBC • May 23, 2025

The Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean and Tasmania in Australia are named after Dutch sea captains.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan