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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.

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

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 • Sep. 4, 2024

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

It took about 2 1/2 hours to finally evacuate 122 people from the ice floe, and no injuries were reported, according to the sheriff’s office.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2023

He was on a large ice floe moving slowly north past the village.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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.