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 at break entry 1
Steve HeimoffExamples of icebreaker in a Sentence
using an old joke as a conversational icebreaker
Recent Examples on the Web
The State Department even approved the then-Soviet Union's offer to send its own icebreaker to the scene.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The official base layer, sock, and mid layer of Ikon Pass, icebreaker creates high-performance clothing using merino wool—perfect for snow early in the season, powder dumps midwinter, and spring skiing that lasts late into the season.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
The event includes speakers, panelists and a lot of fun icebreaker activities such as double Dutch jump rope, hula-hooping and karaoke.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The voyage comes eight years after a natural gas tanker transited the Northern Sea Route without an icebreaker, and signals growing strategic implications as ice coverage continues to shrink.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icebreaker
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Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The official base layer, sock, and mid layer of Ikon Pass, icebreaker creates high-performance clothing using merino wool—perfect for snow early in the season, powder dumps midwinter, and spring skiing that lasts late into the season.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
The event includes speakers, panelists and a lot of fun icebreaker activities such as double Dutch jump rope, hula-hooping and karaoke.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The voyage comes eight years after a natural gas tanker transited the Northern Sea Route without an icebreaker, and signals growing strategic implications as ice coverage continues to shrink.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 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 6 Nov. 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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