Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

ice floe

American  

noun

  1. a large flat mass of floating ice.

  2. floe.


ice floe British  

noun

  1. a sheet of ice, of variable size, floating in the sea See also ice field

"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

ice floe Scientific  
  1. A large, flat expanse of floating ice smaller than a marine ice field.


Etymology

Origin of ice floe

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Ms Homendy said recovery workers were dealing with deteriorating weather conditions and that the wreckage had landed on an ice floe which is moving at a rate of five miles a day.

From BBC Feb. 8, 2025

An ice floe detached from the shoreline of Upper Red Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota, Friday, stranding the 122 ice fishermen on top of it.

From Washington Times Dec. 30, 2023

They were brought back to the ice floe to warm in a fishing shelter, the sheriff’s office said.

From Seattle Times Dec. 29, 2023

Frederik Bussmann took water samples from the edge of an ice floe on the Arctic Ocean last month.Credit...

From New York Times Sep. 22, 2023

The shift in weight caused the ice floe to dip into the black water, and Jack fell back down.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training