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 bright yellow doughnut has a shocking lemon filling topped with vanilla icing. — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026

My travel go-to for years has been the buttery-soft Pima Short Robe from Lake; the cooling cotton material is just the icing on the cake of an already comfortable hotel bed. — Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026

It’s then dipped Biscoff cookie butter icing and topped with Biscoff cookie piece and drizzled with white icing. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026

The fact that anything else happens in the episode is really just an icing bow on a cake that is going to be eaten by a stranger. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

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