pole
- 01 A2 Elementary
a long, thin, rounded piece of wood, metal, or plastic used to support something.
a long, slender, cylindrical piece of wood or metal used for structural support, suspension, or as a tool.
Simple“The flag was flying from a tall metal pole in front of the school.”
In context“The utility company sent a crew to replace the wooden telephone pole that had been snapped by the gale-force winds.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
one of the two points at the very top or bottom of the Earth.
either of the two points on the surface of a rotating planet where its axis of rotation meets the surface.
Simple“The North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.”
In context“Expeditions to the South Pole require months of preparation to survive the extreme temperatures and isolation of the Antarctic interior.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
one of the two ends of a magnet or a battery where the electricity or force is strongest.
each of the two terminal points of a magnet or an electrical battery where magnetic or electric flux is concentrated.
Simple“The positive pole of the battery is marked with a plus sign.”
In context“In physics class, we learned that the opposite poles of two magnets will pull toward each other.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
one of two completely different ideas or opinions.
either of two diametrically opposed principles, opinions, or social extremes.
Simple“The two politicians are at opposite poles when it comes to taxes.”
In context“Their artistic styles represent the two poles of modern design: one is strictly functional, while the other is purely decorative.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
a person who comes from Poland.
a native or inhabitant of Poland, or a person of Polish descent.
Simple“My neighbor is a Pole who moved here from Warsaw five years ago.”
In context“The local community center hosted an event celebrating the contributions of famous Poles to the field of classical music.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
a slang word for a penis.
a vulgar slang term for the penis.
Simple“The comedian made a crude joke about his pole.”
In context“The script was edited for television to remove several vulgar references to the male pole.”
Synonymsphallus
“Night lasts about two Earth weeks , and at the poles, only a few ridges stay lit for long stretches.”
“Iga Swiatek captured her first title of the season with a swift 6-2 6-3 win against Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open final, giving the Pole a confidence boost heading into the US Open.”
From Middle English pole, pal, from Old English pāl (“a pole, stake, post; a kind of hoe or spade”), from Proto-West Germanic pāl (“pole”), from Latin pālus (“stake, pale, prop, stay”), perhaps from Old Latin paxlos, from Proto-Italic pākslos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ- (“to nail, fasten”). Doublet of peel, pale, and palus. Cognates Cognate with Scots pale, paill (“stake, pale”), North Frisian pul, pil (“stake, pale”), Saterland Frisian Pool (“pole”), West Frisian poal (“pole”), Dutch paal (“pole”), German Pfahl (“pile, stake, post, pole”), Danish pæl (“pole”), Swedish påle (“pole”), Icelandic páll (“hoe, spade, pale”), Old English fæc (“space of time, while, division, interval; lustrum”).
From Middle French pole, pôle, from Latin polus, from Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos, “axis of rotation”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.