ice cap

noun

1
: a cover of perennial ice and snow
specifically : a glacier forming on an extensive area of relatively level land and flowing outward from its center
2
: an ice bag shaped to the head

Examples of ice cap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hernandez-Thorpe noted that global warming and melting ice caps have caused rising sea levels, which have contributed to saltwater contamination in the river. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 Earth’s critical reflective polar ice caps are at their lowest extent on record in the satellite era, with the sea ice around Antarctica at a record-low extent by far, spurring worried scientists to share dramatic charts of the missing ice repeatedly. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 6 July 2023 The rest is tied up in groundwater (30.1%) and glaciers and ice caps (68.7%). Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2024 Crowning ice caps, which form over rocks in the winter after heat has escaped from the underlying rock, can also be found on Earth. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2023 As polar ice caps melt and permafrost thaws, scientists are scrambling to keep tabs on the changing region and its effects on the rest of the planet. Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2024 When Martian ice caps lose carbon dioxide ice to sublimation during the warmer months, regions that had been covered become mostly ice-free. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 17 Aug. 2023 That volcano produced a high volume of fine ash in part because of how the erupting magma interacted with an ice cap. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2023 But scientists have detected evidence of liquid water beneath the planet’s southern ice cap, as well as water ice under the surface. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ice cap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice cap was in 1816

Dictionary Entries Near ice cap

Cite this Entry

“Ice cap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice%20cap. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ice cap

noun
: a large glacier forming on level land and flowing outward from its center

More from Merriam-Webster on ice cap

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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