meltwater

noun

melt·​wa·​ter ˈmelt-ˌwȯ-tər How to pronounce meltwater (audio)
-ˌwä-
: water derived from the melting of ice and snow

Examples of meltwater 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.
Water is rapidly replacing ice along the coastal plain of southeastern Alaska, where glaciers are thinning and retreating, with meltwater forming lakes off of their fronts, NASA says. Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 The dunes were once beach ridges from when Lake Michigan’s meltwater reached farther inland. Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025 The tiny pores in the hydrogel can hold water as the material thaws so there is no meltwater. ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2025 The Snowball was suddenly obliterated by unimaginably high heat and CO2, and the global ice sheets flooded the oceans with steaming meltwater. Peter Brannen august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for meltwater

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meltwater was in 1923

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Cite this Entry

“Meltwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meltwater. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

meltwater

noun
melt·​wa·​ter ˈmelt-ˌwȯt-ər How to pronounce meltwater (audio)
-ˌwät-
: water that comes from the melting of ice and snow

More from Merriam-Webster on meltwater

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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