ice ax

noun

: a combination pick and adze with a spiked handle that is used in mountain climbing

Illustration of ice ax

Illustration of ice ax

Examples of ice ax in a Sentence

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.
There’s a slot for a hydration pack or laptop, and an ice ax loop can hold walking poles. — Christopher Murray, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025 Every day in Cambridge Bay, after three or four hours of flooding, the team used an ice ax to hack each pump out of its hole. — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 2025 But Bhatta had stored his ice ax — the crucial tool needed to arrest a slide — out of reach in his pack, opting instead for trekking poles. — Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026 In addition to clothing that protects against the wind and cold, anyone attempting to climb steep terrain covered in snow and ice should have mountaineering boots, heavy metal crampons and an ice ax. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ice ax

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1800, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice ax was circa 1800

Rhymes for ice ax

See All Rhymes for ice ax

Browse Nearby Words

ice apron
ice ax
ice bag
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ice ax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice%20ax. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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