icebreaker
noun
ice·break·er
ˈīs-ˌbrā-kər 
1
: a ship equipped (as with a reinforced bow) to make and maintain a channel through ice
2
: something that is done or said to get through the first difficulties in starting a conversation or discussion
Roughly half of all Americans are invested in the market these days, and stock holdings have replaced politics, weather and sports as the go-to conversational icebreaker.—
Adam Bryant
Adam Bryant… she also pays particular attention to icebreakers that relax guests and get them rubbing elbows, such as a cruise up the Colorado River, where guests nibble on hors d'oeuvres and sip Fall Creek wines.—Steve Heimoff
see also break the ice
Steve HeimoffExamples of icebreaker in a Sentence
using an old joke as a conversational icebreaker
Recent Examples on the Web
Two medium icebreakers, USCGC Healy (25 years old) and USCGC Storis (built in 2012, acquired by USCG in 2024, and modified), are rated as medium icebreakers and are used in the Arctic route.
—Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2025
Washington’s hard capabilities—including polar icebreakers, deep-seabed mining prototypes, financial payment innovations, telecommunications technology, and lunar exploration and other space technologies—either already lag well behind those of China or soon will.
—Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2025
Sylvester asked by way of the evening’s first icebreaker.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
Expedition specialist Ponant will offer a series of summer trips to the North Pole aboard the 123-cabin Le Commandant Charcot, a luxury icebreaker.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025
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Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2025
Washington’s hard capabilities—including polar icebreakers, deep-seabed mining prototypes, financial payment innovations, telecommunications technology, and lunar exploration and other space technologies—either already lag well behind those of China or soon will.
—Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2025
Sylvester asked by way of the evening’s first icebreaker.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
Expedition specialist Ponant will offer a series of summer trips to the North Pole aboard the 123-cabin Le Commandant Charcot, a luxury icebreaker.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icebreaker
Cite this Entry
“Icebreaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/icebreaker. Accessed 24 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
icebreaker
noun
ice·break·er
-ˌbrā-kər
1
: a ship equipped to make and keep open a channel through ice
2
: something (as a joke or game) that makes one feel more at ease and less reserved (as at a party or meeting)
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