South Pole

American  

noun

1. Geography. the southern end of the earth's axis, the southernmost point on earth.

2. Astronomy. the point at which the axis of the earth extended cuts the southern half of the celestial sphere; the south celestial pole.

3. (lowercase) the pole of a magnet that seeks the earth's south magnetic pole.

4. (lowercase) magnetic pole1

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South Pole British  

noun

1. the southernmost point on the earth's axis, at the latitude of 90°S

2. astronomy the point of intersection, in the constellation Octans, of the earth's extended axis and the southern half of the celestial sphere

3. (usually not capitals) the south-seeking pole of a freely suspended magnet

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South Pole Scientific  

1. The southern end of the Earth's axis of rotation, located at 90° south latitude at a point in Antarctica.

2. See more at axis

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South Pole Cultural  

1. The southern end or pole of the Earth's axis (see also axis). (See Antarctic and Antarctica.)

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Etymology

Origin of South Pole

1585–95, South Pole for def. 1

Example Sentences

Beijing is also targeting the lunar South Pole, not least for its rich natural resource potential.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The problem is that rhumb lines aren’t lines; they’re spirals that wind toward the North or South Pole.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026

The ship is blown by a storm to the South Pole where it is followed by an albatross, believed to bring good luck.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

For comparison, the lowest value ever measured over the South Pole was 92 Dobson Units in October 2006.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025

Or maybe they arrived via Australia, passing the South Pole.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann