ice sheet
Americannoun
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a broad, thick sheet of ice covering an extensive area for a long period of time.
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a glacier covering a large fraction of a continent.
noun
Etymology
Origin of ice sheet
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
A new study published in Nature Geoscience suggests Antarctica's ice sheet underwent a dramatic change about one million years ago, becoming much more responsive to shifts in Earth's climate.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
Although researchers have known about this shift for decades, exactly how Antarctica's ice sheet responded has remained uncertain.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
They examined ancient ice recovered from Allan Hills, a unique region along the edge of the East Antarctic ice sheet.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026
Unlike typical ice core sites, Allan Hills contains ice that has been pushed up and distorted by movement within the ice sheet.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026
“High peaks, impassable cliffs, steep snow-slopes, and sharply descending glaciers could be seen in all directions, with stretches of snow-plain overlaying the ice sheet of the interior.”
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
