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pack ice

noun

: sea ice formed into a mass by the crushing together of pans, floes, and brash

Examples of pack ice 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.
Then came the pack ice—millions of jagged pieces, breaking up in the late Arctic spring, a sea of brilliant white fragments against the deep, dark blue. Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 Off the coast of Antarctica, Endurance became trapped by drifting pack ice—giant icebergs that form in the fall and winter. Frederick Dreier, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025 The Endurance, Tuhkuri learned from historic records, was built for Arctic visits during the summer, not for navigating Antarctic pack ice. Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025 Snow petrels are highly associated with pack ice, among the most ice-dependent of Antarctic seabirds. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for pack ice

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pack ice was in 1842

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Cite this Entry

“Pack ice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pack%20ice. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

pack ice

noun
: sea ice formed into a mass by the crushing together of chunks and sheets of ice

More from Merriam-Webster on pack ice

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