pole
gb/pˈoʊl/ us/pˈoʊl/
A2
Anglais
~ 6500
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
long, thin support or handle
A long, straight stick made of wood, metal, or other material that is used to hold something up or to hold in your hands.
Schéma d’usage :
a [pole] supports [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse the spelling of 'pole' with 'poll' (an election or survey). Remember that 'pole' is for a long stick or rod, while 'poll' is about voting or asking people questions.
Synonymes
rod (A general word for a long, thin, straight piece of material; does not strongly suggest supporting something the way 'pole' often does.)
Antonymes
sheet (A flat, wide piece of material, contrasting with the long, thin shape of a pole.)
Collocations
flag pole
|tent pole
|fishing pole
|ski pole
|fence pole
|utility pole
Thèmes
objects
|construction
|outdoors
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- They tied the banner to a tall metal pole in front of the school.
- We used a wooden pole to hold up the corner of the tent.
- He slipped on the ice and grabbed a lamp pole to stop himself from falling.
- Each tomato plant was tied to a pole so it would grow straight.
- The skier planted his pole firmly in the snow before turning.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She put the flag on a pole.
- We need one more pole to finish the fence.
- He held the long pole in both hands.
- The kids jumped over a pole in the park.
- There is a light on top of that pole.
Nom
B1
entity
2
North or South geographic end
One of the two very cold places at the top or bottom of the Earth, called the North Pole and the South Pole.
Schéma d’usage :
the [North/South] Pole
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'pole' with 'polar'. 'Pole' is the point or place; 'polar' is an adjective, as in 'polar bear' or 'polar ice'.
Synonymes
polar region (Refers to the broader area around the poles rather than the exact geographic point.)
Antonymes
equator (The line around the middle of the Earth, contrasting with the extreme ends of the planet.)
Collocations
the North Pole
|the South Pole
|reach the Pole
|explore the polar regions
|melt at the poles
|Earth's poles
Thèmes
geography
|science
|environment
|nature
|space
Exemples
- Explorers once risked their lives to be the first to reach the North Pole.
- The ice at the poles is melting faster because of climate change.
- Very few animals can survive at the South Pole all year round.
- Satellites pass over the Earth's poles many times each day.
- Day and night can last for months at the poles.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Santa Claus is said to live at the North Pole.
- It is very cold at the poles.
- Penguins live near the South Pole.
- The ice at the poles is getting thinner.
- Scientists study the air at the poles.
Nom
technical
B2
entity
3
end of magnet or battery
One of the two ends of a magnet or battery, usually called positive and negative, where the magnetic or electric power is strongest.
Schéma d’usage :
the [positive/negative] pole of [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes mix up this meaning with the Earth's poles. Remember that in electricity and magnetism, 'pole' refers to the ends of a magnet or battery, often called positive/negative or north/south.
Synonymes
terminal (Common in electronics for the connection point; does not always imply opposite ends in the way 'pole' does.)
Antonymes
neutral point (A place where the magnetic or electric effect is minimal or zero, contrasting with the strong effect at a pole.)
Collocations
north pole of a magnet
|south pole of a magnet
|positive pole
|negative pole
|magnetic poles
|poles of a battery
Thèmes
science
|technology
|physics
Exemples
- Opposite poles of two magnets attract each other.
- Be careful to connect the positive pole of the battery to the correct terminal.
- The Earth's magnetic poles are slowly moving over time.
- The compass needle aligns itself with the planet's magnetic poles.
- This switch can reverse the poles of the power supply.
Exemples pédagogiques
- A magnet has two poles.
- The poles of the battery must match the plus and minus signs.
- Opposite poles attract, and the same poles push away.
- He put the north pole of one magnet next to the south pole of another.
- The poles of the magnet can pick up small pieces of metal.
Nom
B2
entity
4
one of two extremes
One of two things that are very, very different or opposite from each other.
Schéma d’usage :
at opposite poles on [issue/topic]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use 'pole' alone when they mean 'poles apart'. Use 'poles apart' or 'at opposite poles' to clearly show strong difference between two things.
Synonymes
extreme (Focuses on being very far from normal; does not always highlight the idea of two matching opposites the way 'pole' does.)
Antonymes
middle ground (A moderate position between two extremes, contrasting with being at a pole.)
Collocations
opposite poles
|at opposite poles
|poles apart
|the two poles of the debate
|the poles of opinion
Thèmes
abstract
|opinions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Exemples
- On this issue the two candidates are at opposite poles.
- Their tastes in music are at completely different poles.
- The novel explores the two poles of hope and despair.
- As managers they stand at poles: one is strict, the other very relaxed.
- These two cities represent opposite poles of urban life.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Their ideas are at opposite poles.
- My brother and I are poles apart in personality.
- The two plans are at different poles.
- Her style is at the opposite pole from his.
- These beliefs are at the two poles of the discussion.
Nom
B1
entity
5
person from Poland
A person who comes from Poland. It is written with a capital letter: a Pole.
Schéma d’usage :
[a Pole] from [place]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often forget to capitalize 'Pole' when it means a person from Poland. Use a capital letter for nationalities as nouns: 'a Pole', 'a German', 'an Italian'. Do not confuse 'Pole' (a person) with 'pole' (a long stick).
Synonymes
Polish person (A more descriptive phrase; used when you want to be very clear or avoid the capital-letter issue for learners.)
Antonymes
non-Pole (Someone who is not from Poland; used here purely as a logical opposite, though it is not a very common everyday phrase.)
Collocations
a young Pole
|many Poles live in
|a Pole living abroad
|Germans and Poles
|a Polish Pole
Thèmes
people
|nationalities
|society
|relationships
|travel
Exemples
- The author is a Pole who grew up in Warsaw.
- Many Poles moved to other European countries after 2004.
- As a Pole, she celebrates traditional Polish holidays with her family.
- The museum was full of tourists, many of them Poles.
- Two Poles and a Frenchman started the company together.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She is a Pole from Kraków.
- I work with a Pole and a German.
- Many Poles live in this city.
- He is a Pole but now lives in London.
- My teacher is a Pole and speaks Polish and English.
Verbe
C1
action
6
move a boat with a pole
To make a boat go by pushing a long stick down into the water and against the ground under the water.
Schéma d’usage :
to pole [a boat] along [a river]
Erreur fréquente :
This verb is much less common than the noun. Learners may think it is related to 'poll' (to ask people questions), but it is not. Also, 'pole' in this sense is usually used with boats in shallow water.
Synonymes
punt (Commonly used in British English for moving a flat-bottomed boat with a pole, especially as a leisure activity.)
Antonymes
anchor (To hold a boat in one place instead of moving it, which is the opposite of poling it along.)
Collocations
pole the boat
|poled slowly along
|poled across the river
|poled the raft downstream
|poled his way through the reeds
Thèmes
travel
|outdoors
|water
|transportation
Exemples
- They poled the small boat quietly along the shallow canal.
- The guide stood at the back and poled us through the marsh.
- With no wind for the sail, they had to pole the raft to shore.
- He learned to pole a canoe in the slow, muddy river.
- We spent the afternoon poling between the sandbanks.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The man stood and poled the boat.
- They had to pole the raft down the river.
- He slowly poled us across the shallow water.
- The guide poled the boat through the plants.
- She learned to pole a small boat on the lake.
Nom
C1
entity
7
front starting place in race
In car or motorbike racing, the place at the very front where the fastest driver starts the race, usually called 'pole position'.
Schéma d’usage :
start from pole
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think 'pole position' means a physical pole. In racing, it is an abstract starting place at the front of the line, not an actual stick.
Synonymes
front row (A more general sports term; in racing, it can include more than one starting place, while 'pole' is the single first spot.)
Antonymes
last place (The starting position at the very back of the grid, opposite of starting from pole.)
Collocations
pole position
|on pole
|take pole
|start from pole
|qualify on pole
|win pole
Thèmes
sports
|competition
|transportation
Exemples
- She took pole for Sunday's race with a record lap time.
- If he starts from pole, he has a good chance to win.
- The rookie surprised everyone by putting his car on pole.
- Rain during qualifying meant that a slower team ended up on pole.
- Starting off pole, he led into the first corner.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He won pole for the big race.
- The fastest driver starts from pole.
- She was on pole but did not win the race.
- They hope to take pole in qualifying.
- He put his car on pole with a fast lap.
Nom
technical
C2
entity
8
point where function blows up
In higher mathematics, a special point where a function does not have a normal value, because the function goes towards infinity there.
Schéma d’usage :
a pole at [x = value]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse the mathematical term 'pole' with the everyday meanings. In math, it is an abstract point where a function becomes infinite, not a physical stick or a place on Earth.
Synonymes
singularity (A broader term for points where a function is not well-behaved; a pole is a specific type of singularity.)
Antonymes
regular point (A point where the function behaves normally and stays finite, contrasted with a pole where it becomes infinite.)
Collocations
simple pole
|double pole
|pole of order n
|pole at x = 0
|poles and zeros
Thèmes
mathematics
|science
|education
Exemples
- The function has a simple pole at z = 1.
- Residues are defined only at poles of a meromorphic function.
- We classify the singularities as removable, poles, or essential.
- At each pole, the function tends to infinity in magnitude.
- This rational function's poles correspond to the zeros of its denominator.
Exemples pédagogiques
- In this example, the function has a pole at x = 0.
- A pole is a type of singularity in complex analysis.
- The teacher drew a graph to show the pole of the function.
- They studied functions with simple poles and double poles.
- We must find all poles before we use the residue theorem.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
pole
API
GB/pˈoʊl/
US/pˈoʊl/
Syllabes et accentuation
pole (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (pole)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: pole
- Plural: poles
Verb
- Base: pole
- 3rd Person Singular: poles
- Present Participle: poling
- Past: poled
Famille de mots
Forms
poles
noun
poling
verb
poled
verb
Core family
polar
adjective B2
Related words
polarity
noun
Advanced or less common
polarize
verb C1
polarization
noun C1
Expressions
from pole to pole
1/fɹˈʌm pˈoʊl tə pˈoʊl/
idiom
literary
across the whole world
Across the whole Earth, from the very north to the very south.
Exemples
- The storm affected weather patterns from pole to pole.
- Birds migrate from pole to pole in search of warmer climates.
North Pole
1/nˈɔɹθ pˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
Earth's northern end point
The very top of the Earth, the point farthest north on the planet.
Exemples
- Many children believe Santa Claus lives at the North Pole.
- The ice around the North Pole is shrinking.
- A group of scientists will spend the winter near the North Pole.
pole position
1/pˈoʊl pəzˈɪʃən/
idiom
being in the best or first position
To be in the first or best position in a race, competition, or process, often giving you an advantage.
Exemples
- Her company is in pole position to win the contract.
- With that win, he moves into pole position in the championship.
- The team hopes a new product will put them in pole position in the market.
poles apart
1/pˈoʊlz əpˈɑɹt/
idiom
completely different or opposite
To be very, very different from someone or something else.
Exemples
- Although they are twins, their personalities are poles apart.
- On this question, the two parties are poles apart.
- Our ideas about education are poles apart from theirs.
South Pole
1/sˈaʊθ pˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
Earth's southern end point
The very bottom of the Earth, the point farthest south on the planet.
Exemples
- Reaching the South Pole was once one of the great goals of explorers.
- There is a research station near the South Pole.
- Temperatures at the South Pole can be extremely low.