glacier

noun

gla·​cier ˈglā-shər 

also

-zhər 

 especially British  ˈgla-sē-ə,

 or  ˈglā-sē-ə

: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface

Examples of glacier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Several days later, Simpson texted me snapshots of two new paintings—a glacier and a figure in a bikini wearing a costume tiger’s head. —Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

This is true not just of the Thwaites glacier, but other environmental boundaries. —Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

All of human nature, like the best and the worst of humanity is crammed onto a glacier for two months. —Outside Online, 23 Apr. 2025

Through its parent company VF Corporation and its VF Foundation, Icebreaker also teamed with Protect Our Winters to support a white paper and documentary film highlighting the effects of climate change and melting glaciers. —Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal), from glace ice, from Latin glacies; akin to Latin gelu frost — more at cold

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

glacier

noun

gla·​cier ˈglā-shər 

: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface