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ice-free

American  
[ahys-free, -free] / ˈaɪsˈfri, -ˌfri /

adjective

  1. free of ice.

  2. (of a harbor or other body of water) free at all times of the year of any ice that would impede navigation.


Etymology

Origin of ice-free

First recorded in 1890–95; ice + -free

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:

Recruiters also touted business friendly regulation, an ice-free port deep inland as well as an aerospace industry and other big aluminum consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 12, 2026

Noting that its waters are ice-free thanks to the Gulf Stream, the Norwegian consultancy Rystad Energy has, for example, suggested excluding the Barents Sea from the EU's definition of the Arctic.

From Barron's Mar. 14, 2026

“It means that when these glaciers die off, we will be the first humans to see ice-free peaks in Yosemite,” said Andrew Jones, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who led the study.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 1, 2025

The decline is tied to the amount of time the bay is now ice-free, a period that is getting longer as the climate warms.

From BBC Dec. 17, 2024

Even as the Pacific advanced upon Beringia, these geologists said, plant and animal life recolonized the ice-free corridor.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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