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

The surrounding limestone peaks of the Canadian Rockies scrape the sky, tempered in their reach by glaciers capping their lofty ambitions. —Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025

With a five-day weather window, the Alaskan soloist opted to take a 19-hour nap at his first glacier bivy on Slovak Direct. —Maya Silver, Outside, 5 Oct. 2025

The men dropped onto Sulztalferner glacier in Tyrol’s Ötztal Valley and were said to have buried their parachutes in the snow before pressing on. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025

Scientists unearthed the bones at the Lago Colhué Huapi rock formation in Patagonia, a region known for its glaciers, mountains and wildlife. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025

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