igloo
Americannoun
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an Inuit house, being a dome-shaped hut usually built of blocks of hard snow.
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Informal. any dome-shaped construction thought to resemble an igloo.
immense silos topped with steel igloos.
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Military. a dome-shaped building for the storage of rockets or other munitions.
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an excavation made by a seal in the snow over its breathing hole in the ice.
noun
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a dome-shaped Inuit house, usually built of blocks of solid snow
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a hollow made by a seal in the snow over its breathing hole in the ice
Etymology
Origin of igloo
First recorded in 1855–60, igloo is from the Inuit word iglu “house”
Explanation
An igloo is a type of hut built from snow, mainly by Inuits. An igloo has a domed shape and is made of compacted bricks of snow. Igloos, which are entirely built of snow blocks, have mostly been constructed by the Inuit tribes that live in parts of Canada and Greenland. Other Inuit groups have used snow, instead, to insulate homes made from other materials. Some igloos are built for temporary shelter, while others are permanent, warm housing in very cold climates. The noun igloo comes from an Inuit word, iglu, which means simply "house," no matter what it's constructed from.
Vocabulary lists containing igloo
Civilizations of the Americas, Lessons 3–4
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The Inuit Thought of It
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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.
The igloo appeared as so-called "snow rollers" were being created in fields across the west mainland of Orkney.
From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026
The polar station resembles an igloo placed on top of a large buoy.
From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025
Being in Canada, you weren’t in an igloo somewhere; you were living 50 miles from the border.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025
The hedgehog hideout is a small igloo shaped hut with a wire frame, with a layer of canvas and a wicker style exterior.
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2024
Then he got into his big parka and left the igloo.
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.
