glacier

noun

gla·​cier ˈglā-shər 

also

-zhər 

especially British ˈgla-sē-ə

or ˈglā-sē-ə

: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface

Examples of glacier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is the moment a piece of a glacier broke off on the Chinese side of the border. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Five days after surging floodwaters from a glacier collapse buried communities across the region in thick mud, rescuers in Nepal were still struggling to reach devastated communities as the full scale of the destruction emerged. — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026

The glacier reaches towards the sea in an enormous frozen wall. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. — Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal), from glace ice, from Latin glacies; akin to Latin gelu frost — more at cold

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

glacier

noun

gla·​cier ˈglā-shər 

: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface