fur seal

noun

: any of various eared seals that have a double coat with a dense soft underfur and were hunted especially formerly for their desirable pelts:

a

: a large seal (Callorhinus ursinus) of the northern Pacific Ocean having its main breeding rookery on Pribilof Island in the Bering Sea

called also northern fur seal

b

: any of a genus (Arctocephalus) of seals chiefly of the southern hemisphere

called also southern fur seal

Illustration of fur seal

Examples of fur seal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adults are also hunted by caracals, leopards, mongooses, fur seals and sharks. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025

Guadalupe fur seals live about 20 years on average, the agency said. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 14 Jan. 2025

In 2024, the San Diego team helped rescue 100 sea lions, 333 birds, four harbor seals, 20 elephant seals, seven Guadalupe fur seals, five cetaceans and five sea turtles. —Kate Murphy, Axios, 19 Mar. 2025

Read Next National ‘Starving’ fur seal was rescued in California in 2017. —Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fur seal

• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal
• cornmeal
• flywheel
• foveal

Kids Definition

fur seal

noun

: any of various eared seals with a dense soft undercoat