ice

1 of 5

noun

often attributive
1
a
: frozen water
b
: a sheet or stretch of ice
2
: a substance resembling ice
especially : the solid state of a substance usually found as a gas or liquid
ammonia ice in the rings of Saturn
3
: a state of coldness (as from formality or reserve)
4
a
: a frozen dessert containing a flavoring (such as fruit juice)
especially : one containing no milk or cream
b
British : a serving of ice cream
5
slang : diamonds
broadly : jewelry
6
: an undercover premium paid to a theater employee for choice theater tickets
7
iceless adjective

ice

2 of 5

verb

iced; icing

transitive verb

1
a
: to coat with or convert into ice
b
: to chill with ice
c
: to supply with ice
2
: to cover with or as if with icing
3
: to put on ice
4
: secure sense 1b
made two free throws … to ice the winJack McCallum
5
: to shoot (an ice hockey puck) the length of the rink and beyond the opponents' goal line
6
slang : kill sense 1a

intransitive verb

1
: to become ice-cold
2
a
: to become covered with ice
often used with up or over
b
: to have ice form inside

-ice

3 of 5

noun suffix

əs
: act
service
: quality
justice
: condition
cowardice

Ice

4 of 5

abbreviation (1)

Iceland

ICE

5 of 5

abbreviation (2)

1
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
In March 2003, the Homeland Security Act set into motion what would be the single-largest government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense. One of the agencies in the new Department of Homeland Security was the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, now known as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE.www.ice.gov/history
2
in case of emergency
Enter an ICE (in case of emergency) listing in the address book of your cell phone. Place the ICE acronym next to a person who can assist emergency workers if any important medical decisions need to be made.Andrew Weil
3
internal combustion engine
4
International Cultural Exchange
Phrases
on ice
1
: with every likelihood of being won or accomplished
2
: in reserve or safekeeping
on thin ice
: in a precarious or risky situation

Examples of ice in a Sentence

Noun The steps were coated with ice. Ice formed on the car's windows. The ice melted quickly in the hot sun. She skated out onto the ice. He almost fell through a hole in the ice. Fill the glass with ice. He gave her some ice for her birthday. Verb Ice the glasses before you fill them. with that win, the team has pretty much iced a spot in the play-offs
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Related Articles For now, though, Cooley’s living the dream, having come a long way from those first few steps on the ice in Palo Alto two decades ago. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 In the past, Cuba has had to import sugar (which is much like the Eskimos’ importing ice, or the Arabs’ importing sand). Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Mar. 2024 Complex organic molecules trapped in cold ices can eventually become part of comets or asteroids, which collide with planets and essentially deliver ingredients that could support life. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 Nichushkin creates space on the ice, which caffeinates the Avs’ blurry attack. Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 13 Mar. 2024 To create it, combine a small bit of vermouth, four ounces of gin, and one large ice cube in a shaker. Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2024 More work will be needed to confirm the research, which contradicts previous telescope observations of oxygen in Europa’s ice, Kevin Hand, a NASA scientist who did not contribute to the findings, tells Marcia Dunn of the Associated Press (AP). Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 The whole thing is easy to set up—inflate, fill, and add your ice. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2024 The authors of the GAO study wrote that Greenland and Denmark haven’t proposed any cleanup plans, but also cited studies that say much of the nuclear waste has already decayed and will be diluted by melting ice. Anita Hofschneider, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
In recent years, the wholesaler has made multiple efforts to ice out freeloaders who try to mooch off friends’ memberships. Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 On Thursday, the Prince of Wales, 41, opened the new youth zone WEST in Hammersmith, west London, and self-deprecatingly knocked his creative skills while icing a cookie in a community kitchen. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 The museum's latest board report includes details on maintenance issues, such as foundation damage, icing on interior windows, and a corroded floor drain which led to leaking that damaged a painting stored in basement collection space. Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 The patient also needs to take Ibuprofen or Tylenol and ice the area 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off during those two days, Bernie said. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The Northern Plains' arctic air will remain in this region, leading to dangerous icing conditions through the Columbia River Gorge on Friday. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 What to Consider The keyhole doesn’t have a cover and can get iced over or potentially picked. Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2024 Pegula helped ice the win by serving out the final two points, delivering an ace on match point. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 The flavors Valvano looks for certainly back that up, as do the portraits of stucco icing cakes popping up on Instagram. Annemarie Dooling, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English is, from Old English īs; akin to Old High German īs ice, Avestan isu- icy

Noun suffix

French, suffix forming nouns from nouns and adjectives, going back to Old French -ise, -ice, partially nativized borrowing from Latin -itia, suffix forming nouns from adjectives (usually monosyllabic), extended form of -ia -ia entry 1, and -itium, forming nouns usually designating status (as servitium service entry 1) from personal nouns

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ice was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ice

Cite this Entry

“Ice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ice. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ice

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: frozen water
b
: a sheet of frozen water
skating on the ice
2
: a state of coldness (as in personal behavior)
3
: a substance resembling ice
4
: a frozen dessert usually made with sweetened fruit juice

ice

2 of 2 verb
iced; icing
1
a
: to coat or become coated with ice
b
: to chill with ice
2
: to cover with icing

Medical Definition

ice

noun
1
: frozen water
2

Legal Definition

ICE

abbreviation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement

More from Merriam-Webster on ice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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