arctic circle

noun

often capitalized A&C

: the parallel of latitude that is approximately 66¹/₂ degrees north of the equator and that circumscribes the northern frigid zone

Examples of arctic circle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Why had he been born in this frigid city less than 300 miles from the arctic circle with few opportunities for a budding entrepreneur? —Charlie Campbell, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025

Since 2022, representatives from industry and government travel to the arctic circle to test how their systems respond to jamming and the more serious GPS spoofing, where GPS signals are faked to deceive a plane or other device about its own location. —Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024

Long, epic, and ambitious in scale, the series turns living rooms into coral reefs, arctic circles, and mountaintops. —Tomris Laffly, EW.com, 10 July 2024

The Finnish drama, which follows two strangers on a long train ride up past the arctic circle, also won the international film critics’ Fipresci award for best film. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2022

Up in the arctic circle, future-forward Norwegian firm Snøhetta is designing the world's first energy-positive hotel. —Jenny Southan, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2019

As such, evergreen forests grow not only up through Europe, but all the way up to the arctic circle. —Matt Simon, WIRED, 29 May 2018

Built when the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was laid, the highway stretches through forested hills, traverses the Yukon River, and enters the arctic circle before ending at the Arctic Ocean. —Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018

Located at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike Rivers, only 165 miles south of the arctic circle, Dawson was founded after news of gold along the Yukon River brought prospectors pouring into town, the population swelling to 30,000. —J.r. Jones, Chicago Reader, 27 Sep. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1587, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for arctic circle

• encircle
• tubercle
• cercle
• preopercle
• semicircle

Kids Definition

arctic circle

noun

often capitalized A&C

: the parallel of latitude that is approximately 66½ degrees north of the equator