magnetic pole

noun

1

: either of two small regions which are located respectively in the polar areas of the northern and southern hemispheres and toward which a compass needle points from any direction throughout adjacent regions

also : either of two comparable regions on a celestial body

2

: either of the poles of a magnet

Examples of magnetic pole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2019, scientists released the WMM one year early, because the magnetic pole was moving much faster than usual. —Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025

The telescope will also be able to measure an unprecedented number of pulsars—spinning stellar remnants that beam electromagnetic radiation out along their magnetic poles. —IEEE Spectrum, 28 Nov. 2017

For most of the time, auroras are best seen around the magnetic poles of the Northern and Southern hemispheres in Europe, Asia and North America. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025

As the star moves out of its calm phase — solar minimum — and reaches the height of the solar cycle, its magnetic poles flip, ushering in solar maximum, when activity is heightened and eruptions become more frequent and intense. —Denise Chow, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

magnetic pole

noun

1

: either of two small regions of the earth which are located near the North and South Poles and toward which a compass needle points

2

: either of the poles of a magnet