pack ice

noun

: sea ice formed into a mass by the crushing together of pans, floes, and brash

Examples of pack ice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The Inn stays shut during winter and ‘pack ice’ season, which some locals will tell you is the most beautiful time of all—for snowmobiling and snowshoeing through the Island’s interior by day, and come evening, getting invited into someone's warm shed for a tipple and a chat. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026 That year in Point Lay, the pack ice created an open lead very near shore. Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026 Climate change, the subsequent melting of pack ice and the opening of new sea lanes is making the Arctic more navigable and -- potentially -- more lucrative. David Brennan, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2026 Then came the pack ice—millions of jagged pieces, breaking up in the late Arctic spring, a sea of brilliant white fragments against the deep, dark blue. Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pack ice

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pack ice was in 1842

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Cite this Entry

“Pack ice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pack%20ice. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

pack ice

noun
: sea ice formed into a mass by the crushing together of chunks and sheets of ice

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