icebreaker

[ ahys-brey-ker ]

/ ˈaɪsˌbreɪ kər /

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noun

Nautical. a ship specially built for breaking navigable passages through ice.

an opening remark, action, etc., designed to ease tension or relieve formality: A mild joke can be a good icebreaker.

a tool or machine for chopping ice into small pieces.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of icebreaker

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; ice + breaker¹

Words nearby icebreaker

iceboat, iceboater, icebound, icebox, icebox cake, icebreaker, ice bridge, ice bucket, icecap, ice cave, ice chest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use icebreaker in a sentence

Luke’s dinner, however, was not nearly as conducive to the icebreaker.
Date Lab: She started the virtual date showing off her fancy tapas. He had ordered a burrito.|Prachi Gupta|March 4, 2021|Washington Post
During other months, less effort is needed by icebreakers to sustain transportation.
India’s Dirty Arctic Energy Hunt|Charu Kasturi|January 11, 2021|Ozy
In one of my classes, they focused on fostering connections, with group chats and icebreakers to get to know each other.
For college freshmen, pandemic results in a first-year experience unlike any other|Joe Heim, Nick Anderson, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Susan Svrluga|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
At the event, Katie set out notebooks, pens and Starbursts for an icebreaker activity at every desk.
This AI whiz could be the next Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, but first she has to navigate being 18|Taylor Telford|November 5, 2020|Washington Post

I spent a lot of time on icebreakers in February 1987 looking for life in the ocean below the Ross Ice Shelf, which is almost 200,000 square miles, about the size of France, and more than 2,000 feet thick.
He Found ‘Islands of Fertility’ Beneath Antarctica’s Ice|Steve Nadis|July 20, 2020|Quanta Magazine
It functions as an icebreaker the same way trust-fall exercises do.
The Case Against Cards Against Humanity: Is Max Temkin a Horrible Person? (Does It Matter?)|Arthur Chu|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This could replace the ice cream social as the college freshman icebreaker of choice.
Viral Video of the Day: Slapping Brings People Together|Alex Chancey|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I thought, ‘What could I do that would immediately try to be an icebreaker with the audience,’” Colbert says.
Stars Who Entertain the Troops|Laura Colarusso|October 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
As I was anxious to have the experience of smashing through the ice on an icebreaker, I went aboard the Corwin.
In Search of a Siberian Klondike|Homer B. Hulbert

British Dictionary definitions for icebreaker

icebreaker

/ (ˈaɪsˌbreɪkə) /

noun

Also called: iceboat a vessel with a reinforced bow for breaking up the ice in bodies of water to keep channels open for navigation

any tool or device for breaking ice into smaller pieces

something intended to relieve mutual shyness at a gathering of strangers

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012