floe

noun

1
: floating ice formed in a large sheet on the surface of a body of water
2

Examples of floe 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.
From flowing to floes:People walked across a frozen Ohio River in 1977. Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 20 July 2024 The best bet is Eclipse Sound on Baffin Island, where narwhal frequent the edge of the sea ice (the floe edge) in early summer. The Week Uk, theweek, 28 Apr. 2024 The 122 people, who were fishing at Upper Red Lake, were taken safely back to land via boat and airboat within three hours of the distress call, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office said, after they were unexpectedly stranded on a large sheet of floating ice, referred to as a floe. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2023 This was a tributary version of the break-up and floe of ice that historically has happened in all the Great Lakes. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 27 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for floe 

Word History

Etymology

probably from Norwegian flo flat layer

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of floe was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near floe

Cite this Entry

“Floe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/floe. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

floe

noun
: a sheet or mass of floating ice

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