icebound

adjective

ice·​bound ˈīs-ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce icebound (audio)
: surrounded, obstructed, or covered by ice

Examples of icebound in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the dog would go on to prove his mettle when a severe diphtheria outbreak hit Nome in January 1925, and the city's port was icebound and hence inaccessible from the sea. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 Apr. 2023 Marchand fired an icebound dart through a Stamkos screen that beat Vasilevskiy to the far corner of the net. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Jan. 2023 In January 1915, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance became icebound in the Antarctic. Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, 7 Dec. 2022 In January 1915, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, became icebound in the Antarctic. Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, 18 Mar. 2022 Wind turbines supply a fraction of the grid’s winter power supply, much less than the similarly icebound natural-gas processors. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2022 The search expedition has been fortunate with conditions in the Weddell Sea, which can be notoriously icebound. Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 9 Mar. 2022 Endurance became completely icebound on January 24, and by mid-February, Shackleton ordered the boilers to be shut off so that the ship would drift with the ice until the weather warmed sufficiently for the pack to break up. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Mar. 2022 The inhospitable, barely accessible and icebound expanse that the Arctic once was is transforming. Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'icebound.' 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

circa 1637, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of icebound was circa 1637

Dictionary Entries Near icebound

Cite this Entry

“Icebound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/icebound. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

icebound

adjective
ice·​bound -ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce icebound (audio)
: surrounded or blocked by ice
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