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

Every story beat, every roll of the dice, felt like a pocket-watch movement ticking inexorably toward one of countless possible conclusions, using every character, item, location, idea in a combination that felt wholly unique to this one playthrough. —Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

The dice chairs are unattributed and the artwork above the windows is by Celeste Fichter. —Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 16 May 2026

Verb

Three Knights pitchers tried in vain as the Bruins diced up the diamond even though UCF walked UCLA and NCAA home-run leader Megan Grant three times. —Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026

Sliced, diced, or pureed jalapeños can kick up the heat level of salsas and other dishes. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 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