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

see also:

no dice

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

Synonyms of dice

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

By winning its third game in three days, the Aztecs could’ve avoided rolling the dice on the selection committee’s calculations. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

Within weeks of his rousing debut, Platner became an object lesson in the perils of rolling the dice with an unvetted neophyte in such a crucial Senate battleground. —Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026

Verb

Other twists came in the form of California rolls (drizzled with truffle oil) and yellowtail tuna (diced and served in mini taco shells). —The Week Uk, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2026

Layer about half of the bacon pieces and diced egg onto the lettuce. —Nancy Vienneau, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026

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
• no 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