ice floe

noun

: a usually large flat free mass of floating sea ice

Examples of ice floe in a Sentence

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.
Occasionally a curious polar bear meandered near camp, which was always changing as the ice floe buckled and drifted across the Arctic Ocean. Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025 Pine trees are dotted around the landscape stretching right down to ground level where ice floes seem to float on the water just outside touching distance. Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 The faux ice floe in the polar-bear exhibit at China’s Dalian Forest Zoo is stained with what looks like mold. Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025 There’s a reason the Caribbean is known as the land of dazzling turquoise waters, while Arctic waters are a dark teal contrast to the ivory ice floes around them. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for ice floe

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice floe was in 1819

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Cite this Entry

“Ice floe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice%20floe. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

ice floe

noun
: a flat free mass of floating sea ice
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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