ice

noun, often attributive

\ ˈīs

Definition of ice

(Entry 1 of 5)

1a : 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)

4a : 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 : crystal meth

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

ice

verb

iced; icing

Definition of ice (Entry 2 of 5)

transitive verb

1a : 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 win— Jack 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

2a : to become covered with ice —often used with up or over

b : to have ice form inside

-ice

noun suffix

\ əs\

Definition of -ice (Entry 3 of 5)

: act service : quality justice : condition cowardice

Ice

abbreviation (1)

Definition of Ice (Entry 4 of 5)

Iceland

ICE

abbreviation (2)

Definition of ICE (Entry 5 of 5)

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

Other Words from ice Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about ice

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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 city of Chicago has accumulated a half-inch of ice, which has caused many delays and cancellations at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Brace Yourselves: The Entire Country Will be Hit by a Brutal Winter Storm This Week," 12 Feb. 2019 Although some roads were shown completely impassible, with large swaths of asphalt shattered like ice, no bridges or other major pieces of infrastructure were destroyed. — Alissa Walker, Curbed, "Alaska’s earthquake didn’t kill anyone—here’s why," 3 Dec. 2018 Lunar Outpost envisions swarms of up to two dozen of these rovers crawling on the Moon's surface looking for ice, precious metals, and other resources. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "NASA closes call for small payloads to study the surface of the Moon," 22 Nov. 2018 And sublimation has likely carved penitentes into the ice there, the study team determined. — Mike Wall, Space.com, "Jupiter Moon Europa's Jagged Ice Towers Could Imperil Robot Landers," 8 Oct. 2018 IceCube, a strange telescope made of deep glacial ice at the South Pole, has detected neutrinos from a distant, luminous galaxy. — Mark Bowen, Scientific American, "Neutrinos on Ice: Astronomers' Long Hunt for Source of Extragalactic "Ghost Particles" Pays Off," 12 July 2018 Frozen Unicorn Drink: The frappe-style drink is crafted from vanilla, raspberry syrup, whole milk and ice, blended and then topped with vanilla bean marshmallow whip, cotton candy bits and cotton candy. — Kellie Hwang, azcentral, "6 places for over-the-top, Instagram-worthy unicorn treats in Phoenix," 11 July 2018 Reinhart seemingly tied the game, putting the rebound of a Jeff Skinner shot into an open net with Schneider on the ice. — Tom Canavan, The Seattle Times, "Schneider makes 45 saves in leading Devils over Sabres 3-1," 25 Mar. 2019 This news probably can't be good for Jordyn and Kylie's relationship which is already on very thin ice. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "9 Signs Jordyn Woods and Tristan Thompson Did In Fact Hook Up," 22 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The fact that rental is a more sustainable form of consumption was simply icing on the cake. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Need a New Dress for Awards Season—or Just Friday Night Dinner? Rent It at Armarium and Eco-Age’s Pop-Up in Los Angeles," 1 Feb. 2019 The fact that he was born in Lawrence and spent his formative years in Boston and environs is mere icing on the 100-candle cake. — Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, "Rays of sunshine from Bernstein and Grammer in Pops season opener," 10 May 2018 Offering to wash the dishes becomes the icing on the perfect guest cake. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Do This One Simple Thing to Be the Perfect Dinner Guest," 27 Apr. 2018 For me, that would be enough to grade UCLA as the better team—the sweep is just icing on the cake. — Michael Beller, SI.com, "Bubble Watch: How Each Team on the Edge Can Secure a Spot in NCAA Tournament Field," 6 Mar. 2018 The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill said that light icing from sleet and snow overnight left behind a minimum of a glaze of ice on surfaces across the area. — Robert A. Cronkleton And Kaitlyn Schwers, kansascity, "KC evening commute could be dicey as freezing drizzle lingers; more rain to come | The Kansas City Star," 22 Feb. 2018 For all of that magic, beating Marrone would be like icing on the cake. — Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, "Bills not riled by showdown with Doug Marrone, Jaguars," 4 Jan. 2018 Once your heart shape is complete, finish the cake off with a gorgeous heap of icing on top and spread it all over until it's fully covered. — Alexis Hobbs, Country Living, "How to Create a Heart-Shaped Cake Without Having to Buy a Special Pan," 11 Feb. 2016 The administration’s sensitivity on that front mushroomed into a broader trade dispute between the U.S. and China—which in turn iced out the... — Dan Gallagher, WSJ, "Broadcom: Follow the Money," 13 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for ice

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