ice age

noun

1
: a time of widespread glaciation
2
capitalized I&A : the Pleistocene glacial epoch

Examples of ice age in a Sentence

changes that occurred during the last ice age
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.
Ice sheets once covered much of the Northern Hemisphere during the ice age. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 May 2025 For other cities along the East Coast and Great Lakes area, such as New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the sinking primarily comes as the land slowly settles after the melting of glaciers from the last ice age. Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2025 The logo represents the city, as mammoths used to live in Utah during the last ice age. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025 Fishermen working off the coast of Taiwan long have dredged up the bones of ancient animals — elephants, water buffalo and hyenas — in their nets, relics of an ice age past when sea levels were lower and the ocean channel was a land bridge. Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ice age

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice age was in 1855

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ice age.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice%20age. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

ice age

noun
1
: a time of widespread glaciation
2
capitalized I&A : the most recent such period in the earth's past

More from Merriam-Webster on ice age

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!