ice

¹

[ ahys ]

noun

1. the solid form of water, produced by freezing; frozen water.
2. the frozen surface of a body of water.
3. any substance resembling frozen water:

   camphor ice.

4. a frozen dessert made of sweetened water and fruit juice.
5. British. ice cream.
6. icing, as on a cake.
7. reserve; formality:

   The ice of his manner betrayed his dislike of the new ambassador.

8. Slang.
   1. a diamond or diamonds.
   2. protection money paid to the police by the operator of an illicit business.
   3. a fee that a ticket broker pays to a theater manager in order to receive a favorable allotment of tickets.

verb (used with object)

, iced, ic·ing.

1. to cover with ice.
2. to change into ice; freeze.
3. to cool with ice, as a drink.
4. to cover (cake, sweet rolls, etc.) with icing; frost.
5. to refrigerate with ice, as air.
6. to make cold, as if with ice.
7. to preserve by placing on ice.
8. Ice Hockey. (especially in Canada) to put (a team) into formal play.
9. Slang.
   1. to settle or seal; make sure of, as by signing a contract:

      We'll ice the deal tomorrow.

   2. to make (a business arrangement) more attractive by adding features or benefits:

      The star pitcher wouldn't sign his new contract until the team iced it with a big bonus.

   3. to kill, especially to murder:

      The mobsters threatened to ice him if he went to the police.

10. Sports Slang. to establish a winning score or insurmountable lead in or otherwise assure victory in (a game or contest):

    Her second goal iced the game.

verb (used without object)

, iced, ic·ing.

1. to change to ice; freeze:

   The sherbet is icing in the refrigerator.

2. to be coated with ice (often followed by up ):

   The windshield has iced up.

adjective

1. of or made of ice:

   ice shavings;

   an ice sculpture.

2. for holding ice and food or drink to be chilled:

   an ice bucket;

   an ice chest.

3. on or done on the ice:

   ice yachting.

ICE

²

[ ahys ]

noun

1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: a federal agency tasked with interior enforcement of U.S. customs and immigration laws, including cross-border investigations of criminal activity, and the arrest, detention, and removal of undocumented aliens.
2. in case of emergency: (usually designating an emergency-contact phone number in one's cell phone contact list):

   The paramedic found my mom's ICE number immediately.

-ice

³

1. a suffix of nouns, indicating state or quality, appearing in loanwords from French:

   notice.

Ice.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Iceland.
2. Icelandic.

ICE

¹

abbreviation for

1. Institution of Civil Engineers

Ice.

²

abbreviation for

1. Iceland(ic)

ice

³

/ aɪs /

noun

1. water in the solid state, formed by freezing liquid water glacial
2. a portion of ice cream
3. slang.
   a diamond or diamonds
4. the field of play in ice hockey
5. slang.
   a concentrated and highly potent form of methamphetamine with dangerous side effects
6. break the ice
   1. to relieve shyness, etc, esp between strangers
   2. to be the first of a group to do something
7. cut no ice informal.
   to fail to make an impression
8. on ice
   in abeyance; pending
9. on thin ice
   unsafe or unsafely; vulnerable or vulnerably
10. the Ice informal.
    Antarctica

verb

1. often foll byup, over, etc to form or cause to form ice; freeze
2. tr to mix with ice or chill (a drink, etc)
3. tr to cover (a cake, etc) with icing
4. slang.
   tr to kill
5. in ice hockey
   1. to shoot the puck from one end of the rink to the other
   2. to select which players will play in a game

ice

/ īs /

1. A solid consisting of frozen water. Ice forms at or below a temperature of 0°C (32°F). Ice expands during the process of freezing , with the result that its density is lower than that of water.
2. A solid form of a substance, especially of a substance that is a liquid or a gas at room temperature at sea level on Earth. The nuclei of many comets contain methane ice.

Derived Forms

• ˈiceless, adjective
• ˈiceˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• ice·less adjective
• ice·like adjective
• re·ice verb reiced reicing
• un·ice verb (used with object) uniced unicing

Word History and Origins

Origin of ice¹

First recorded before 900; 1905–10 ice fordef 8a; Middle English, Old English īs; cognate with German Eis, Old Norse īss

Origin of ice²

Middle English -ice, -ise < Old French < Latin -itius, -itia, -itium abstract noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of ice¹

Old English īs; compare Old High German īs, Old Norse īss

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. break the ice,
   1. to succeed initially; make a beginning.
   2. to overcome reserve, awkwardness, or formality within a group, as in introducing persons:

      The chairman broke the ice with his warm and very amusing remarks.

2. cut no ice, Informal. to have no influence or importance; fail to impress:

   Her father's position cuts no ice with me.

3. ice it, Slang. stop it; that's enough:

   You've been complaining all day, so ice it.

4. ice the puck, Ice Hockey. to hit the puck to the far end of the rink, especially from the defensive area across the offensive area.
5. on ice, Informal.
   1. with a good chance of success or realization:

      Now that the contract is on ice we can begin operating again.

   2. out of activity, as in confinement or imprisonment.
   3. in a state of abeyance or readiness:

      Let's put that topic on ice for the moment.

6. on thin ice, in a precarious or delicate situation: Also skating on thin ice.

   You may pass the course, but you're on thin ice right now.

More idioms and phrases containing ice

see break the ice ; cut no ice ; on ice ; on thin ice ; put on ice ; tip of the iceberg .

Example Sentences

"If Trump conducts mass deportations, ICE would blow past that number very quickly," Adam Isacson, a migration and border expert from the Washington Office on Latin America told the BBC.

From BBC

ICE has said that Ibarra was arrested in New York City in September 2023 and was charged with "acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation".

From BBC

ICE Acting Director Patrick J. Lechleitner told NBC News in July that Trump’s plan would have “astronomical” economic costs and require unfeasible infrastructure to enact.

From Salon

For example, experts are doubtful that ICE's 20,000 agents and support personnel would be enough to find and track down millions of undocumented migrants.

From BBC

We do know that as head of ICE, he oversaw the separation of families who dared to cross the border in search of a safer, better life.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bling
• bling-bling
• diamond
• diamonds