ice
( ices 3rd person present) ( icing present participle) ( iced past tense & past participle )
1 n-uncount Ice is frozen water.
Glaciers are moving rivers of ice..., ...a bitter lemon with ice.
2 verb If you ice a cake, you cover it with icing.
I've iced and decorated the cake. V n
4 If you break the ice at a party or meeting, or in a new situation, you say or do something to make people feel relaxed and comfortable.
♦
breaks the ice phrase V inflects
→
ice-breaker
5 If you say that something cuts no icewith you, you mean that you are not impressed or influenced by it.
♦
cuts no ice phrase V inflects, oft PHR with n
That sort of romantic attitude cuts no ice with money-men.
6 If someone puts a plan or project on ice, they delay doing it.
♦
on ice phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR
The deal was put on ice for three months...
7 If you say that someone is on thin ice or is skating on thin ice, you mean that they are doing something risky which may have serious or unpleasant consequences. ♦
on thin ice phrase I had skated on thin ice and, so far, got away with it.
black ice
Black ice is a thin, transparent layer of ice on a road or path that is very difficult to see. n-uncount
choc-ice ( choc-ices plural ) , choc ice A choc-ice is a small block of ice cream covered in chocolate.
(BRIT) n-count
Ice Age
The Ice Age was a period of time lasting many thousands of years, during which a lot of the earth's surface was covered with ice. n-proper the N
ice-blue
Ice-blue is a very pale blue colour.
LITERARY colour
ice-breaker ( ice-breakers plural ) , icebreaker
1 n-count An ice-breaker is a large ship which sails through frozen waters, breaking the ice as it goes, in order to create a passage for other ships.
2 n-count An ice-breaker is something that someone says or does in order to make it easier for people have never met before to talk to each other.
This exercise can be quite a useful ice-breaker for new groups.
ice bucket ( ice buckets plural ) An ice bucket is a container which holds ice cubes or cold water and ice. You can use it to provide ice cubes to put in drinks, or to put bottles of wine in and keep the wine cool. n-count
ice cap ( ice caps plural ) , ice-cap The ice caps are the thick layers of ice and snow that cover the North and South Poles. n-count usu the N
ice-cold
1 adj If you describe something as ice-cold, you are emphasizing that it is very cold.
...delicious ice-cold beer...
2 adj If you describe someone as ice-cold, you are emphasizing that they do not allow their emotions to affect them or that they lack feeling and friendliness.
...the gunman's ice-cold stare.
ice-cool
If you describe someone as ice-cool, you admire them because they are calm and do not show emotion in difficult situations. (JOURNALISM) adj usu ADJ n (approval)
The ice-cool driver has built a reputation for pulling out his best performances under pressure.
ice cream ( ice creams plural ) , ice-cream
1 n-mass Ice cream is a very cold sweet food which is made from frozen cream or a substance like cream and has a flavour such as vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry.
I'll get you some ice cream.
2 n-count An ice cream is an amount of ice cream sold in a small container or a cone made of thin biscuit.
Do you want an ice cream?...
ice cube ( ice cubes plural ) An ice cube is a small square block of ice that you put into a drink in order to make it cold. n-count
ice floe ( ice floes plural ) An ice floe is a large area of ice floating in the sea. n-count
ice hockey , ice-hockey
Ice hockey is a game played on ice between two teams of 11 players who use long curved sticks to hit a small rubber disk, called a puck, and try to score goals.
(mainly BRIT) n-uncount
in AM, usually use hockey
ice lolly ( ice lollies plural ) , ice-lolly An ice lolly is a piece of flavoured ice or ice cream on a stick.
(BRIT) n-count
in AM, use Popsicle
ice pack ( ice packs plural ) An ice pack is a bag full of ice which is used to cool parts of the body when they are injured or painful. n-count
ice pick ( ice picks plural ) , icepick An ice pick is a small pointed tool that you use for breaking ice. n-count
ice rink ( ice rinks plural ) An ice rink is a level area of ice, usually inside a building, that has been made artificially and kept frozen so that people can skate on it. n-count
ice sheet ( ice sheets plural ) An ice sheet is a large thick area of ice, especially one that exists for a long time. n-count
ice-skate ( ice-skates plural ) Ice-skates are boots with a thin metal bar underneath that people wear to move quickly on ice. n-count
ice skater ( ice skaters plural ) An ice skater is someone who skates on ice. n-count
ice-skating , ice skating
If you go ice-skating, you move about on ice wearing ice-skates. This activity is also a sport. verb only cont
They took me ice-skating on a frozen lake. V
Ice-skating is also a noun., n-uncount
(=skating)
I love watching ice-skating on television.
ice water
Ice water is very cold water served as a drink.
(AM) n-uncount
pack ice
Pack ice is an area of ice that is floating on the sea. It is made up of pieces of ice that have been pushed together. n-uncount