dice

1 of 2

noun

ˈdīs 

plural dice

1

a

: die sense 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 bar

—Malcolm Lowry

2

: to take a chance

the temptation to dice with death

—Newsweek

dicer noun

Phrases

no dice

1

: of no avail : no use : futile

2

: no entry 1 sense 3

said no dice to my request

Synonyms

Noun

• bones

Verb

• chop
• slice

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

In addition, the performers also have to make dice rolls to succeed or fail at everything from attacking a troll to fast talking a city guard. —Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Lip-Bu Tan rolled the dice on a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday and made a favorable impression. —Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Verb

Pinch of salt Directions Peel peaches (blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then cover in cold water so that the skins just slip off) and dice into small pieces. —Bill St. John, Denver Post, 8 Aug. 2025

Then dice and mix into leafy green salads with ingredients like nuts, seeds, and crumbled feta for a colorful, nutritious twist. —Lauren O'Connor, Health, 5 Aug. 2025

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

Phrases Containing dice

• a roll of the dice
• loaded dice
• load the dice
• roll the dice
• slice and dice

Rhymes for dice

• feis
• gneiss
• grice
• ice
• lice
• mice
• slice
• spice
• splice
• thrice
• trice
• twice

Kids Definition

dice

1 of 2 noun

ˈdīs 

plural dice

1

: die entry 2 sense 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