ice age

noun

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of ice age

1 : a time of widespread glaciation

2 capitalized I&A : the Pleistocene glacial epoch

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Examples of ice age in a Sentence

changes that occurred during the last ice age

Recent Examples of ice age from the Web

McLaren and his colleagues hope to find other areas like Calvert Island that were not frozen during the ice age and are above water today.

— author: sarah kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, "The oldest footprints in North America are right where Native historians said they should be," 30 Mar. 2018
This phenomenon may have resulted from repeating pulses of volcanism along mid-ocean ridges, which previous research has linked to cycles of ice ages and warming.

— terri cook, Scientific American, "Hunt for Flight MH370 Takes Searchers into Uncharted Territory," 1 July 2017
After a late winter that felt like an ice age, many of us are dying to spend some time outside in milder weather.

— shannon rooney, Philly.com, "Three New Hope estates where the outdoor living is easy," 28 Mar. 2018
The rhythmic ice ages of the last several million years were governed by slow-changing cycles in Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which sometimes conspired to bring stronger sunlight to the great ice sheets of the Northern Hemisphere.

— scott k. johnson, Ars Technica, "Ars answers a federal judge’s questions about climate change," 19 Mar. 2018
During the ice age 20,000 years ago, sea level would have been lower and the Iberomaurusians were thought to have crossed the Mediterranean by boat at Gibraltar or Sicily.

— ann gibbons, Science | AAAS, "Oldest DNA from Africa offers clues to mysterious ancient culture," 15 Mar. 2018
Archaeology reveals that humans started wearing clothes some 170,000 years ago, very close to the second-to-last ice age.

— asimina kiourti, Scientific American, "Embroidering Electronics into the Next Generation of “Smart” Fabrics," 13 Mar. 2018
Archaeology reveals that humans started wearing clothes some 170,000 years ago, very close to the second-to-last ice age.

— asimina kiourti, Smithsonian, "The Next Generation of ‘Smart’ Fabrics Could Have Electronics Embroidered Into Them," 12 Mar. 2018
Through the work of passionate individuals curious of Oregon's rich past, there now exists a greater understanding of ancient animals and landscapes that once dominated the area in the last great ice age.

— herald and news, OregonLive.com, "Columbian Mammoth tracks found at Fossil Lake," 5 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ice age.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of ice age

1855

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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ICE AGE Defined for English Language Learners

ice age

noun

Definition of ice age for English Language Learners

: a time in the distant past when a large part of the world was covered with ice

ICE AGE Defined for Kids

ice age

noun

Definition of ice age for Students

: a period of time during which much of the earth is covered with glaciers

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See words that rhyme with ice age Nglish: Translation of ice age for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ice age

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ice age

Definition of ice age

Examples of ice age in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ice age from the Web

First Known Use of ice age

ICE AGE Defined for English Language Learners

ice age

Definition of ice age for English Language Learners

ICE AGE Defined for Kids

ice age

Definition of ice age for Students

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