ice

1 of 5

noun

often attributive
1
a
: frozen water
b
: a sheet or stretch of ice
2
: a substance resembling ice
especially : the solid state of a substance usually found as a gas or liquid
ammonia ice in the rings of Saturn
3
: a state of coldness (as from formality or reserve)
4
a
: a frozen dessert containing a flavoring (such as fruit juice)
especially : one containing no milk or cream
b
British : a serving of ice cream
5
slang : diamonds
broadly : jewelry
6
: an undercover premium paid to a theater employee for choice theater tickets
7
iceless adjective

ice

2 of 5

verb

iced; icing

transitive verb

1
a
: to coat with or convert into ice
b
: to chill with ice
c
: to supply with ice
2
: to cover with or as if with icing
3
: to put on ice
4
: secure sense 1b
made two free throws … to ice the winJack McCallum
5
: to shoot (an ice hockey puck) the length of the rink and beyond the opponents' goal line
6
slang : kill sense 1a

intransitive verb

1
: to become ice-cold
2
a
: to become covered with ice
often used with up or over
b
: to have ice form inside

-ice

3 of 5

noun suffix

əs
: act
service
: quality
justice
: condition
cowardice

Ice

4 of 5

abbreviation (1)

Iceland

ICE

5 of 5

abbreviation (2)

1
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
In March 2003, the Homeland Security Act set into motion what would be the single-largest government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense. One of the agencies in the new Department of Homeland Security was the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, now known as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE.www.ice.gov/history
2
in case of emergency
Enter an ICE (in case of emergency) listing in the address book of your cell phone. Place the ICE acronym next to a person who can assist emergency workers if any important medical decisions need to be made.Andrew Weil
3
internal combustion engine
4
International Cultural Exchange
Phrases
on ice
1
: with every likelihood of being won or accomplished
2
: in reserve or safekeeping
on thin ice
: in a precarious or risky situation

Examples of ice in a Sentence

Noun The steps were coated with ice. Ice formed on the car's windows. The ice melted quickly in the hot sun. She skated out onto the ice. He almost fell through a hole in the ice. Fill the glass with ice. He gave her some ice for her birthday. Verb Ice the glasses before you fill them. with that win, the team has pretty much iced a spot in the play-offs
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The ice and snow that blanket Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in winter are no match for Zubaida Bibi. Jennifer Lotito, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Even with most of its autonomous vehicle fleet on ice, Cruise is still bleeding cash. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Advertisement Fittingly, James’ first three-pointer of the game iced the win — ending a night when the team made only five of 30 shots from deep. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024 These days, anything above a $20M debut in China is icing for the studios. Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ice 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English is, from Old English īs; akin to Old High German īs ice, Avestan isu- icy

Noun suffix

French, suffix forming nouns from nouns and adjectives, going back to Old French -ise, -ice, partially nativized borrowing from Latin -itia, suffix forming nouns from adjectives (usually monosyllabic), extended form of -ia -ia entry 1, and -itium, forming nouns usually designating status (as servitium service entry 1) from personal nouns

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ice

Cite this Entry

“Ice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ice

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: frozen water
b
: a sheet of frozen water
skating on the ice
2
: a state of coldness (as in personal behavior)
3
: a substance resembling ice
4
: a frozen dessert usually made with sweetened fruit juice

ice

2 of 2 verb
iced; icing
1
a
: to coat or become coated with ice
b
: to chill with ice
2
: to cover with icing

Medical Definition

ice

noun
1
: frozen water
2

Legal Definition

ICE

abbreviation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement

More from Merriam-Webster on ice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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