floe

noun

ˈflō How to pronounce floe (audio)
1
: floating ice formed in a large sheet on the surface of a body of water
2
: ice floe

Examples of floe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Get a warm jacket and embrace your own floe. — Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026 Another swell came and went, cracking the ice into floes. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 The sampled region changed as the floe drifted across the Arctic. — Asher Elbein, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2025 Local news outlets showed floes of ice floating along the city’s waterways after the winter storm. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for floe

Word History

Etymology

probably from Norwegian flo flat layer

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of floe was in 1817

Phrases Containing floe

Rhymes for floe

See All Rhymes for floe

Browse Nearby Words

flodge
floe
floeberg
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Floe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/floe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

floe

noun
ˈflō How to pronounce floe (audio)
: a sheet or mass of floating ice

More from Merriam-Webster on floe

Nglish: Translation of floe for Spanish Speakers

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