Definition of icebreaker
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 … 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 at 1break
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Examples of icebreaker in a Sentence
using an old joke as a conversational icebreaker
Recent Examples of icebreaker from the Web
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Each practice starts with an icebreaker and ends with a healthy snack, which last month included dates, chocolates and oranges to honor Ramadan.
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The ice-tank trials were intended to evaluate potential heavy polar icebreaker designs for the future fleet, says Alana Miller, a Coast Guard representative.
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Finally, on Sunday, the Nathaniel B. Palmer icebreaker research vessel headed to the station.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'icebreaker'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of icebreaker
1825
ICEBREAKER Defined for English Language Learners
icebreaker
playDefinition of icebreaker for English Language Learners
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: a ship designed to clear a passage through ice
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: something done or said to help people to relax and begin talking at a meeting, party, etc.
ICEBREAKER Defined for Kids
icebreaker
playDefinition of icebreaker for Students
1 : a ship equipped to make and keep open a channel through ice
2 : something said or done that helps people relax and begin talking in a social situation The party game was a good icebreaker.
Learn More about icebreaker
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See words that rhyme with icebreaker Spanish Central: Translation of icebreaker Nglish: Translation of icebreaker for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about icebreaker
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