ice age

noun

1
: a time of widespread glaciation
2
capitalized I&A : the Pleistocene glacial epoch

Examples of ice age in a Sentence

changes that occurred during the last ice age
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.
However, the blocks of time between ice ages–called an interglacial period–also were not that warm. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2025 Unlike their smaller cousins, dire wolves hunted large ice age mammals, including mammoths and horses. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 Massive crocodilians evolved independently in aquatic environments more than a dozen times over the past 120 million years during all types of global climatic phases — including ice ages, according to the study. Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025 During the Pleistocene, our ancestors lived through several different ice ages. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ice age

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice age was in 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Ice age.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice%20age. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

ice age

noun
1
: a time of widespread glaciation
2
capitalized I&A : the most recent such period in the earth's past

More from Merriam-Webster on ice age

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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