icing

1 of 3

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 3

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

icing

3 of 3

present participle of ice entry 2

Examples of icing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The icing on the cake was that, immediately after the Giants Stadium show, the band were going to fly by Concorde to England to appear at the Donington Park heavy metal festival. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

His execution was not always on target (put some passes into feet or icings and didn’t have the muscle to clear the zone at times). — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Eighteen deaths and 700 injuries to our service people are just the icing on the cake. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

The cinnamon ice cream features baked apples, sweet icing and cinnamon pastry pieces. — Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Sep. 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