icing

1 of 2

noun (1)

ic·​ing ˈī-siŋ 

1

: a sweet flavored usually creamy mixture used to coat baked goods (such as cupcakes)

called also frosting

2

: something that adds to the interest, value, or appeal of an item or event

—often used in the phrase icing on the cake

icing

2 of 2

noun (2)

: an illegal act by an ice hockey player of shooting a puck from within the defensive zone or defensive half of the rink beyond the opponents' goal line but not into the goal

Examples of icing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The doughnut shell is topped with bright orange buttercream icing that’s decorated to resemble a Jack-O-lantern face on a pumpkin, complete with a green icing stem. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025

The layers are made of coconut pound cake (which is sturdy enough to be sliced so thinly) and have coconut icing between them. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025

The lovely, post-application glow is just the icing on the skin-care cake. —Sarah Kinonen, Allure, 1 Oct. 2025

This was an incredible night at Target Field, with a season-high 40,000 attendance for a great pitching matchup of Ryan versus Pirates phenom Paul Skenes, plus a postgame Nelly concert as the icing on the cake. —Dan Hayes, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1948, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing icing

• anti-icing
• icing on the cake
• icing sugar
• royal icing

Rhymes for icing

• deicing
• dicing
• pricing
• slicing
• splicing
• enticing
• sufficing
• sacrificing
• satisficing

Kids Definition

icing

1 of 2 noun

ic·​ing ˈī-siŋ 

1

: a sweet coating for baked goods (as cakes)

called also frosting

2

: something that adds to the interest, value, or appeal of an item or event

—often used in the phrase icing on the cake

icing

2 of 2 noun

: the shooting of a hockey puck the length of the rink and beyond the opponent's goal line