ice

noun, often attributive

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\ 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 Phrases Containing ice Learn More About ice

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 See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The hotel also offers bike rentals for beach cruises or impromptu ice-cream runs. — Dana Givens, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2022 Like an ice-cream shop that offers you the choice of pistachio or strawberry and nothing else, the movies Tyler Perry has been churning out for 20 years come in just two flavors: comedy and soap opera. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Sep. 2022 The precise model was the iPhone 4, which looked like an ice-cream sandwich from the side and felt about as sturdy. — Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2022 Gul Mohammad, who used to make a living pushing an ice-cream cart, is one of many whose homes have been left uninhabitable. — Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Sep. 2022 The lines from Shakespeare that remain, though, keep fighting against the ice-cream sweetness of the production. — Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2022 Wynston’s classic chocolate ice cream was ranked one of the four best chocolate ice creams in America by the North American Ice Cream Association. — Roxana Becceril, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022 His professional advice was to buy an ice-cream truck. — Ben Cohen, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022 This week, a New York judge ruled against Ben & Jerry’s in an unusual case the ice-cream maker brought against Unilever, its owner. — Cassie Werber, Quartz, 24 Aug. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Jackson ended the game with a 9-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left on the clock to ice the outcome for the Ravens. — Mark Daniels, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2022 Ryan Copson, Shawsheen — The junior caught a touchdown and nabbed a pair of interceptions, one to set up the winning score and the second to ice a 30-26 nonconference victory over Bedford. — Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022 Whitlow ran for four yards on third-and-2 to ice the victory with 55 seconds to play. — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 31 Aug. 2022 Keaton Windell made two free throws with 30 seconds left and Scheidt converted two free throws of his own with 15 seconds to ice the game. — Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022 Use it just like a layered cake and pour half of the batter in each turkey—once cool, ice one half and put them together to create a 3-D cake. — Lily Gray, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2022 Even my tweets became a subject so touchy that most of my AsAm colleagues decided that was the time to avoid me or ice me out. — Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 14 July 2022 Lillard made both free throws to ice the game at 123-119. — oregonlive, 5 Mar. 2021 None were bigger than a pair of free throws with 14.1 seconds left to ice the game. — Shelby Dermer, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2022 See More

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