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ice

Pronunciation: /ʌɪs/

Translate ice | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of ice

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] frozen water, a brittle transparent crystalline solid:she scraped the ice off the windscreen her hands were as cold as ice
  • a sheet or layer of ice on the surface of water:the ice beneath him gave way
  • complete absence of friendliness or warmth in manner or expression:the ice in his voice was only to hide the pain
  • 2chiefly British an ice cream, ice lolly, or portion of water ice.
  • North American a frozen mixture of fruit juice or of flavoured water and sugar.
  • 3 informal diamonds.

verb

[with object]
  • 1decorate (a cake or biscuit) with icing.
  • 2North American informal clinch (something such as a victory or deal).
  • 3North American informal kill:another man had been iced by the police

Phrases

break the ice

do or say something to relieve tension or get conversation going in a strained situation or when strangers meet.

ice the puck

Ice Hockey shoot the puck from one’s own half of the rink to the other end without it hitting the goal or being touched by a teammate, for which a face-off is awarded in one’s own end.

on ice

  • 1(of wine or food) kept chilled by being surrounded by ice: the champagne was already on ice
  • (especially of a plan or proposal) held in reserve for future consideration:the recommendation was put on ice
  • 2(of an entertainment) performed by skaters:Dick Whittington on Ice

on thin ice

in a precarious or risky situation:you’re skating on thin ice

Phrasal Verbs

ice over/up

become covered or blocked with ice:the wings iced over, forcing the pilot to dive

Origin:

Old English īs, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ijs and German Eis

Spelling rule

Drop the final silent -e when adding -ing or -ed: (ices, icing, iced).

ice in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ice in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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