frosting

[ fraw-sting, fros-ting ]

noun

1. a sweet mixture, cooked or uncooked, for coating or filling cakes, cookies, and the like; icing.
2. a dull or lusterless finish, as on metal or glass.
3. a process of highlighting the hair by bleaching selected strands.
4. a material used for decorative work, as signs, displays, etc., made from coarse flakes of powdered glass.

frosting

/ ˈfrɒstɪŋ /

noun

1. a soft icing based on sugar and egg whites
2. Also calledicing a sugar preparation, variously flavoured and coloured, for coating and decorating cakes, biscuits, etc
3. a rough or matt finish on glass, silver, etc
4. slang.
   the practice of stealing a car while the owner has left it idling to defrost the windows and heat the engine

Other Words From

• non·frost·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of frosting¹

First recorded in 1610–20; frost + -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. the frosting on the cake, something added to make a thing better or more desirable. Also icing on the cake.

Example Sentences

He added, "There's also been a spike in searches for 'frosting near me,' 'induce self coma how to' and 'cried so hard I pooped?'"

From Salon

While the world outside may be fraught, “Bake Off” offers a gentle escape inside the tent, where the challenges center on flour and frosting and camaraderie and humor reign supreme.

From Salon

The thing that I love is they put these little dollops of cheese on their pizzas that’s almost like frosting, so you can’t go wrong with any of them.

From Los Angeles Times

According to Food & Wine, Duncan Hines and Parton first collaborated in 2022 with the release of “Dolly’s Southern Favorites” line, which included a Southern-style coconut flavored cake mix, a banana-flavored cake mix, a creamy buttercream frosting and a rich chocolate frosting.

From Salon

For years, the city has opted for amateurish temporary fixes, using asphalt to fill cracks and crevices the way you might use frosting to mask the collapse of a cake.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• glaze