dice

1 of 2

noun

plural dice
1
b
: a gambling game played with dice
2
plural also dices : a small cubical piece (as of food)
3
: a close contest between two racing-car drivers for position during a race

dice

2 of 2

verb

diced; dicing

transitive verb

1
a
: to cut into small cubes
diced onions
b
: to ornament with square markings
diced leather
2
a
: to bring by playing dice
dice himself into debt
b
: to lose by dicing
dice her money away

intransitive verb

1
: to play games with dice
dice for drinks in the barMalcolm Lowry
2
: to take a chance
the temptation to dice with deathNewsweek
dicer noun
Phrases
no dice
1
: of no avail : no use : futile
2
: no entry 1 sense 3
said no dice to my request

Examples of dice in a Sentence

Noun In this game, each player rolls the dice to see who plays first. They were shooting dice in one of the bar's back rooms. Verb Dice the potatoes and add them to the soup. quickly diced some peppers and onions and threw them into the stew
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Featured in our World’s Best Awards in 2021, this intimate 28-room boutique hotel is perfect for travelers who prefer an authentic, low-key vibe, but don’t want to compromise on luxury (or roll the dice with Airbnb or Vrbo). Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, perhaps only Paramount would have rolled the dice by promoting a couple of mere screenwriters, traditionally Hollywood’s bottom feeders, into the director’s chair: Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 On his chest, one features comedy and tragedy theater masks with a set of dice and three Ace cards. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 In Florida, though, the scale appears to tip the other way: Ladapo has rolled the dice on doing less. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2024 But with the ball in his top scorer's hands, May rolled the dice. Tim Reynolds, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024 The black ink images of La Virgen de Guadalupe, theater masks, a pair of dice and Ace playing cards were throwbacks to his high school days. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Upping the Ante An incomplete collection of some of the straight-up weirdest gambles in history By Teddy Brokaw Dice Hard Roman Emperor Nero gambled extravagantly during his first-century A.D. reign, often in games with four dice. Chris Carra, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024 Shanahan had rolled the dice earlier in the game and won. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
Here’s a trick for dicing them in advance and using them in a salad dressing. Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Amanda effortlessly dices red bell pepper and tomato and adds them to the pan. Jordan P. Hickey, Longreads, 22 Feb. 2024 Aligning all the connections properly means the chip must be diced to much greater tolerances than is needed for microbump technologies. IEEE Spectrum, 21 Feb. 2024 Why not just add more fire and dice around the place to spruce it up? Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 Try these expert tips from Crumble Smith: Switch up the texture: Instead of slicing or dicing your apples, use a grater to shred them finely before adding to oatmeal, baked goods or smoothies. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 Katherine Garr led the team in scoring with 23 points, hitting three 3-pointers and also dicing up the visitors on drives and cuts to the basket. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024 To dice the tomato, cut it in half lengthwise, through the stem and down through its pert bottom. G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024 Finely dice the remaining stalk pieces and reserve. Fred Thompson, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dice.' 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 dyce, from dees, dyce, plural of dee die entry 2

Verb

Middle English dycen, from dyce dice entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dice was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dice

Cite this Entry

“Dice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dice. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dice

1 of 2 noun
plural dice
1
2
: a gambling game played with dice

dice

2 of 2 verb
diced; dicing
1
: to cut into small cubes
diced carrots
2
: to play games with dice
dicer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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