ice
/aɪs/ IELTSAcademic
noun
- 1.
Frozen water in solid form. It is cold and usually becomes water when it warms up.
- The lake was covered with ice.
- Please add ice to my drink.
- 2.
A hard, cold layer of frozen water that can form on roads, windows, or objects.
- There was ice on the road this morning.
- Ice formed on the car windshield overnight.
- 3.
Frozen dessert made with water, fruit juice, or milk. In some contexts, it means ice cream or a cold sweet.
- We bought mango ice after dinner.
- The children shared a cup of ice.
verb
To cover or decorate with icing, or to cool something with ice.
- Ice the cake before serving it.
- She iced the drinks for the party.
Adinary Nuance
Ice is the everyday word for frozen water, so it is more basic than frost, hail, or snow. Use frost for a thin white layer on cold surfaces, and hail for balls of frozen rain. In many Indian English settings, ice can also mean a frozen dessert or ice cream, so context matters.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- đá
- Spanish
- hielo
- Chinese
- 冰
- Japanese
- 氷
- Korean
- 얼음
Etymology
Old English is, from a Germanic root. The word has been used in English since before the 12th century.
Common phrases
ice coldice cubebreak the iceice rink
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is ice the same as frost?
- No. Ice is frozen water. Frost is a thin white layer that forms on cold surfaces.
- Can ice mean ice cream in Indian English?
- Yes, sometimes. In casual speech, people may say ice for a frozen dessert.
- How do I use ice as a verb?
- You can say, “ice the cake” or “ice the drinks.” It means to add icing or cool with ice.