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to ice

to ice

9 2.7
To put sweet topping on a cake to decorate it
  • verb
  • /aɪs/
: glasear
  • Vlog is currently uploading, so it is time to ice and decorate the cake.
  • ice the cake
  • ice the cookies
  • ice the cupcakes

You get your palette knife, you put your cake on it, and instead of trying to go around like this, you can spin it while you ice it.

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Examples

  • Eli, you want to help us ice the cake?

  • Jittery-fingered, Sarah iced his cake thickly to hide its nut-riddled surface and stabbed it with 52 candles.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Just go ahead and ice it on there as much as you choose.

  • -What am I gonna ice the cake with ?

  • I completely forgot how fun it was to ice them any way you wanted.

    Blog text (29)
  • This should make plenty to ice all the rolls if you go ahead and make them all.

    Blog text (8)
  • Now we're going to put on some strawberry icing to ice this baby up, and then that's it.

  • Gertie iced the honey heart with pink frosting.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I iced ours with a thinned-down version of my Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.

    Blog text (8)
  • Can you help me ice this cake with chocolate frosting?

Synonyms

to frost
vsto ice
10 2.2

To put sweet icing on a cake or cupcake

is identical in meaning but uses a different word form

Idioms

on thin ice
  • Informal
25 6.2

In danger of getting into trouble for something you did

15 4.9

Put off until later

cold as ice
  • Informal
4 7.2

Not showing any feeling or kindness to others

4 6.8

To take a risk that can get you in trouble

to stunk on ice
  • Informal
1 9.9

To be very poor and disappointing

Stay alert and ready to move, like resting a hockey stick on the ice

To move clumsily and unsteadily, like a new skater

stink on ice
  • Informal
9.9

A complete failure that goes very wrong

Phrasal Verbs

3 4.3

To form a layer of ice on something, making it slippery

2 3.4

Get covered in ice, for example a pond or window

To delay something and keep it for later use

To delay a plan or project for a while

To mix and freeze a sweet creamy mixture by stirring it without stopping

Add ice cubes to a drink to make it cold

1 4.1

Say or do something that makes people feel less nervous and start talking

Compounds

730 1.0

A cold sweet treat made from milk or cream in different flavors

54 1.0

A small square piece of frozen water used to cool drinks

54 3.4

A long time when much of Earth is covered by ice and very cold

42 1.0

Very cold, like frozen water

30 1.0

Moving on ice while wearing boots with metal blades

25 3.5

A metal tool with a sharp point that you use to break blocks of ice

23 1.0

Very cold water with ice cubes

A baked cone-shaped wafer that holds ice cream

22 3.4

A thick layer of ice and snow that always covers large land areas like the poles or mountain tops

dry ice
  • Specialized
22 3.9

A very cold solid made from carbon dioxide used to keep things frozen and make white fog

21 1.8

A cold bag used on the body to reduce swelling, pain, or fever

18 2.0

An area with a floor of ice for skating or hockey

A cold creamy dessert made with chocolate

A sweet frozen dessert made from milk and cream with vanilla flavor

13 2.3

A team sport on ice where players use sticks to hit a puck into the other team's goal

13 2.0

A device that makes and gives ice cubes

10 2.9

A storm in which freezing rain covers roads and trees with ice

A dessert of ice cream with sweet toppings like syrup or fruit

A dessert of ice cream shaped like a cake and decorated for parties

ice queen
  • Offensive
8 8.5

A woman who seems cold and not open about her feelings

8 1.0

A container that holds ice to keep drinks cold

7 5.0

A flat piece of frozen water that floats on the sea or large lake

ice tea
  • US
7 1.3

A cold drink of tea poured over ice, often with lemon or sugar

6 2.4

A person who moves on ice wearing shoes with metal blades for sport or fun

6 2.8

A small piece of frozen water that forms in clouds, snow, or frost

6 1.7

A portable box that keeps food and drinks cold with ice

A place with smooth ice where people skate or play hockey

6 1.9

A machine in a fridge or a separate appliance that makes ice cubes by itself

6 1.0

A boot with a metal blade that lets you move on ice

6 4.1

A thick, flat piece of ice floating where a glacier reaches the sea

ice melt
  • Specialized
5 3.5

Ice changing into water in large areas like glaciers and sea ice

A cold sweet dessert made from milk and strawberries, often with small fruit pieces

5 5.7

A thin layer of ice on roads or sidewalks that is hard to see

5 3.1

A performance with skaters doing routines on ice to music

4 4.7

A large flat area of floating ice on the sea

pack ice
  • Specialized
3 6.7

A large area of floating ice pushed together by wind and sea

3 2.6

A frozen sweet made from fruit juice and sugar without milk, with a soft texture

A cold drink with ice cream floating in sweet fizzy soda

A soft frozen dessert that comes from a machine, often in a cone

3 4.1

A large area of floating ice pressed together in polar seas

ice ax
  • Specialized
3 6.8

A tool with a sharp point and flat blade that cuts steps in ice and helps climbers stay safe

2 2.3

A large white bear that lives in the Arctic and hunts seals

2 1.8

A waterproof bag filled with ice that you put on your body to cool it and reduce swelling

2 1.0

Coffee that is served cold with ice, often with milk or cream

Ice cream with three or more side-by-side layers of different flavors like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry

ice milk
  • Archaic
1 3.1

A frozen dessert made from milk like ice cream but with less fat

ice fog
  • UK
1 7.3

A thick mist of tiny ice crystals that makes it hard to see in very cold weather

ice mass
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A large area of ice that forms part of a glacier or ice sheet

A cold sweet food made with peaches or peach flavor

1 7.1

A bar of vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate

ice maiden
  • Offensive
1 8.8

A woman who seems cold and shows little feeling

A cold drink with ice cream floating in soda

ground ice
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Frozen water below the ground that forms when water in soil freezes in very cold places

ice tongs
  • Archaic
1 5.6

A tool with two long arms used to hold and lift blocks of ice

1 7.0

A low plant with thick leaves that look covered in tiny shiny hairs like ice

1 6.0

Large pieces of ice that float on the open sea

1 8.2

A large area of ice attached to land that sticks out over the sea, often near the poles

An area of ice with lines and goals where people play ice hockey

ice wagon
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A wagon pulled by horses that carried blocks of ice to houses

ice cool
  • Informal
1 6.2

Very calm and not nervous in a difficult situation

A person who skates on ice with a stick to score goals

1 3.4

A salt or liquid used to make ice become water on roads and sidewalks

1 2.0

A sweet frozen treat on a small stick like a popsicle

1 7.1

A place where ice blocks the way so people or vehicles cannot move through

ice needle
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A thin pointed piece of ice that grows from cold surfaces

1 3.4

A material that melts ice on paths and driveways

ice-calm
  • Informal
1 7.9

Being very calm and not showing fear in a stressful situation

ice seller
  • Archaic
1 6.0

A person who cuts blocks of ice and delivers them to people

ice yacht
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A small sailboat with skate blades that moves across ice

camphor ice
  • Archaic
8.5

A cream made from camphor and oils that soothes sore or dry skin

A cold creamy dessert with small pieces of chocolate

A tropical evergreen tree with long pods of soft white pulp you can eat

A thin, crisp shell you hold to eat ice cream

How Covered

to ice
9 2.7
to dust
29 2.5

Surface Forms

ice infinitive
iced past
iced past participle
icing present participle
ices third person singular

Etymology

To ice a cake (as a verb) comes from the noun ice for the smooth topping, so to ice is to 'cover' a baked good with a sweet layer. This keeps the same idea of making a surface smooth and shiny.