glacier

noun

gla·​cier ˈglā-shər How to pronounce glacier (audio)
also
-zhər How to pronounce glacier (audio)
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
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.
Many skiers, including Team USA members Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, expressed concern during the Games about climate change accelerating melt of the world’s glaciers. Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026 In the depths of Scarisoara cave in Romania sits one of the world’s biggest underground glaciers, a monumental slab of ice the size of roughly 40 Olympic swimming pools that began to form around 13,000 years ago. Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026 The species diverged from its closest relative approximately 780,000 years ago, possibly after a population became isolated under glaciers in deep ocean trenches. Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026 Testing revealed that the species diverged as a separate species approximately 780,000 years ago, a time when most of the Southern Ocean was covered in glaciers. Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for glacier

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of glacier was in 1744

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Glacier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glacier. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

glacier

noun
gla·​cier ˈglā-shər How to pronounce glacier (audio)
: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface

More from Merriam-Webster on glacier

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