a long thin straight piece of wood or metal, especially one with the end placed in the ground, used as a support 竿；杆子；杖；篙 
a tent pole 帐篷支柱 a ski pole 滑雪杖 a curtain pole 窗帘杆
Extra ExamplesA punt is a boat that you move by pushing a long pole against the bottom of the river. 平底船是一种通过将一根长杆推向河底来移动的船。 I stood resting on my ski poles and watched her come down the slope. 我站在滑雪杆上休息，看着她从斜坡上下来。 The tent poles are made of aluminium 帐篷杆是铝制的 a fishing pole 钓竿
either of the two points at the opposite ends of the line on which the earth or any other planet turns （行星的）极；地极 the North/South Pole 北极；南极 The meridian is an imaginary line drawn from pole to pole. 子午线是从极点到极点的一条假想线。 The north magnetic pole lies to the west of the geographic North Pole. 磁北极位于地北极的西面。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- North
- South
- geographic
- …
- between the (two) poles of
- from pole to pole
- be poles apart
- (
physics 物理 either of the two ends of a magnet, or the positive or negative points of an electric battery 磁极；电极 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- North
- South
- geographic
- …
- between the (two) poles of
- from pole to pole
- be poles apart
either of two opposite or very different extremes （对立或相反的）任何一方；极端 Their opinions were at opposite poles of the debate. 他们的意见在辩论中截然相反。 an artistic compromise between the poles of abstraction and representation 在抽象与具象两种艺术极端之间作出的折衷
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- North
- South
- geographic
- …
- between the (two) poles of
- from pole to pole
- be poles apart
Word Originnoun sense 1 and up the pole. late Old English pāl (in early use without reference to thickness or length), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch paal and German Pfahl, based on Latin palus ‘stake’. noun senses 2 to 4 and be poles apart. late Middle English: from Latin polus ‘end of an axis’, from Greek polos ‘pivot, axis, sky’.
Idioms
be poles apart
to be widely separated; to have no interests that you share 天南地北；南辕北辙；截然相反 Her own friends were poles apart from his. 她自己的朋友与他截然不同。 In temperament, she and her sister are poles apart. 她和姐姐的性情截然相反。
the greasy pole
- (informal)
used to refer to the difficult way to the top of a profession 涂油杆（到达专业之巅的艰难道路）；险峻的职业阶梯
not touch somebody/something with a ten-foot pole (North American English)
(British English not touch somebody/something with a bargepole)
- (informal)
to refuse to get involved with somebody/something or in a particular situation 决不与…有任何牵扯；拒不牵扯到…中去 Personally, I wouldn’t touch him or his business with a ten-foot pole. 就我个人而言，我不会用一根十英尺长的杆子去碰他或他的生意。
up the pole
- (British English, old-fashioned, informal)
crazy 发狂的；疯狂的