floe

[ floh ]

/ floʊ /

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See synonyms for floe on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called ice floe. a sheet of floating ice, chiefly on the surface of the sea, smaller than an ice field.

a detached floating portion of such a sheet.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of floe

First recorded in 1810–20; perhaps from Norwegian flo “layer” (compare Old Norse flō “layer, level”); cognate with Old English flōh “piece, flagstone”; cf. flaw¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH floe

floe , flow

Words nearby floe

flock dot, flocking, flock paper, flocky, Flodden, floe, floeberg, flog, flogged, flogger, flogging

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use floe in a sentence

They have gone out on an ice floe with no obvious way back to shore.
How the Republicans Blew the Payroll Tax Debate|John Batchelor|December 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Not that Western civilization has never embraced the mythical Inuit practice of leaving the old out on an ice floe.
The Great Untapped 80-Something Market|Liz Smith|March 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST
There's a clear passage through the floe, and clear water beyond, the lookout says.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays|Various
No craft like the Grampus could work through a floe, What knots she could run, and what tons she could stow!
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various

"Be ready, now," said Kit; when some one of the party on the floe fired on a sudden.
Left on Labrador|Charles Asbury Stephens
About seven o'clock we heard a splashing out along the floe.
Left on Labrador|Charles Asbury Stephens
We towed the carcass up to the edge of the floe, and pulled it up.
Left on Labrador|Charles Asbury Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for floe

floe

/ (fləʊ) /

noun

See ice floe

Word Origin for floe

C19: probably from Norwegian flo slab, layer, from Old Norse; see flaw 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012