ice dam

noun

An obstruction to the flow of a river caused by the flow of a glacier across its course.

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Meanings

nounice dam (plural ice dams)

plural ice dams

  1. geographyAn obstruction to the flow of a river caused by the flow of a glacier across its course.
  2. geographyAn obstruction to the flow of a river caused by the concatenation of surface ice into a ridge that rises above and sinks below the surface causing a blockage, occurring frequently during spring breakup season.
  3. businessA mass of ice formed at the transition from a warm to a cold roof surface, frequently formed by refreezing meltwater at the overhang of a steep roof, causing ice and water to back up under roofing materials.
  4. abbreviationellipsisbusinessEllipsis of ice dam membrane.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
ice dam membrane

Translations

French embâcle
  • embâcleTranslations
Spanish presa de hielo, barrera de hielo
  • presa de hieloTranslations
  • barrera de hieloTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

ice dam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ice%20dam

MLA

“ice dam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ice%20dam. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ice dam,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ice%20dam.

Source: ice dam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.