ice age

noun

1
: a time of widespread glaciation
2
Ice Age : the Pleistocene glacial epoch

Examples of ice age in a Sentence

changes that occurred during the last ice age
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Most scientists agree that the most recent ice age, which ended approximately 11,700 years ago, is the reason for Ireland’s lack of reptile diversity. K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026 The oldest ice contained in Weißseespitze dates back roughly 6,000 years to the mid-Holocene, a warm period following the close of the last global ice age. Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2026 If not stopped it has the potential to cause an extinction-level global ice age. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026 But there are normal ebbs and flows, warm and cold periods throughout the history of Earth, well before humans were alive, like ice ages and volcanic events, and climate change includes it all, not just the heat! Zoe Mintz, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ice age

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice age was in 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Ice age.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice%20age. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

ice age

noun
1
: a time of widespread glaciation
2
capitalized I&A : the most recent such period in the earth's past

More from Merriam-Webster on ice age

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