ice-free

American  

[ahys-free, -free] / ˈaɪsˈfri, -ˌfri /

adjective

1. free of ice.

2. (of a harbor or other body of water) free at all times of the year of any ice that would impede navigation.

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Etymology

Origin of ice-free

First recorded in 1890–95; ice + -free

Example Sentences

Recruiters also touted business friendly regulation, an ice-free port deep inland as well as an aerospace industry and other big aluminum consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Noting that its waters are ice-free thanks to the Gulf Stream, the Norwegian consultancy Rystad Energy has, for example, suggested excluding the Barents Sea from the EU's definition of the Arctic.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

"But body condition is only one piece of the puzzle. Other recent research on these bears found that more ice-free days reduced survival in cubs and in subadult and old females."

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

“It means that when these glaciers die off, we will be the first humans to see ice-free peaks in Yosemite,” said Andrew Jones, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who led the study.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025

A million paleo-Indians, Martin argued, could easily form a wave of hunters that would radiate out from the southern end of the ice-free corridor, turning the continent into an abattoir.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann