Definition of glacier
: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface
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Recent Examples of glacier from the Web
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That includes possible fast retreat at Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers due, in part, to the problem of ice cliff instability.
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Quttinirpaaq is a massive 23,463 square mile swathe of high Arctic landscape including mountains, glaciers and thermal oases.
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Many of the state's glaciers are retreating; thawing permafrost is warping roads and tilting homes in Western Alaska.
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Standing on the glacier was literally and figuratively intoxicating.
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At this time, the Earth also underwent an extinction event that saw the collapse of forests and the appearance of widespread glaciers.
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In 1991 five glaciers occupied nooks near their peaks.
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In other words, steady retreat of the glacier has visibly changed the Antarctic coastline.
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Today, thanks to a multitude of interplanetary probes, any kid with an internet connection can see dusty sunsets on Mars, sweeping glaciers on Pluto, punctured terrain on asteroids.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glacier.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of glacier
French, from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal), from glace ice, from Latin glacies; akin to Latin gelu frost — more at cold
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
GLACIER Defined for English Language Learners
GLACIER Defined for Kids
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See words that rhyme with glacier Spanish Central: Translation of glacier Nglish: Translation of glacier for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of glacier for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about glacier
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