ice age

American  

[ahys eyj] / ˈaɪs ˌeɪdʒ /

noun

Geology.

ice ages plural

1. a geologic period during which ice thickly covers vast masses of land.

   astronomical phenomena related to the widespread glaciation of ice ages.

2. Ice Age, the most recent of the earth’s many ice ages, occurring during the Pleistocene Epoch.

   Our familiar continents were shaped quite differently before the Ice Age.

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ice age British  

noun

1. another name for glacial period

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ice age Scientific  

1. Any of several cold periods during which glaciers covered much of the Earth.

2. Ice Age. The most recent glacial period, which occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch and ended about 10,000 years ago. During the Pleistocene Ice Age, great sheets of ice up to two miles thick covered most of Greenland, Canada, and the northern United States as well as northern Europe and Russia.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ice ages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ice age

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Archaeologists working at an ancient site in central China have uncovered evidence that early humans may have become more inventive while living through a brutal ice age.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2026

Researchers at the University of Southampton have found new evidence that Earth's climate did not completely grind to a halt during its most extreme ice age, a time often called Snowball Earth.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

Sir Keir Starmer's visit to China this week is the clearest sign yet the two countries are seeking to end the diplomatic "ice age" that has defined their relationship.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

During an ice age, glaciers and ice sheets expand, and varying temperatures cause these ice masses to repeatedly advance and shrink.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2025

It also survived the first peak of the last ice age, around 70,000 years ago.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari