ice floe

American  

noun

1. a large flat mass of floating ice.

2. floe.

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ice floe British  

noun

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

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ice floe Scientific  

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

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Etymology

Origin of ice floe

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

It's home to ice floes, glaciers and more polar bears than people.

From BBC

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

A traditional diorama of polar bears on an ice floe hardly needs any changes in presentation or interpretation to take on new meanings in our era of climate change.

From Los Angeles Times

The sinking of the Endurance, months after the ship became trapped in ice, stranded Shackleton and 27 crew members on ice floes and dashed their hopes of becoming the first to cross Antarctica on foot.

From New York Times

Members of the public alerted the local authorities when they saw a man going onto an ice floe to approach the animal.

From BBC

Related Words

• iceberg