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

The researchers also said that despite higher melt rates, there is less water flowing downstream because the glaciers are smaller now. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Switzerland’s iconic glaciers lost an enormous amount of ice in 2026, a new report shows, signaling an ongoing rapid meltdown driven by climate change that has astonished even scientists studying it. — Erin Douglas, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

When those ice shelves thin or collapse, studies show the glacier flow speeds up. — Robert Kopp, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

The $125 million production stars a nearly unrecognizable Cruise playing an oblivious oil tycoon whose drilling in Greenland dislodges an ice shelf from a glacier that’s going to cause a global disaster. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

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