icebreaker

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
At least one more detachment -- including four destroyers, two "hydrographic vessels" (a cover name for intelligence ships) and even one "icebreaker" -- went through the Turkish straits on May 31

View all »
Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun Nautical A sturdy ship built for breaking a passage through icebound waters. Also called iceboat.
  2. noun A protective pier or dock apron used as a buffer against floating ice.
  3. noun Something done or said to relax an unduly formal atmosphere or situation.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • Featuring all available itineraries aboard the icebreaker, Polar Star. —  billingsgazette.com
  • At least one more detachment -- including four destroyers, two "hydrographic vessels" (a cover name for intelligence ships) and even one "icebreaker" -- went through the Turkish straits on May 31 —  Sultan Knish
  • It was a fun icebreaker, and set the mood appropriately that we are really just struggling to find an answer. —  Archinect.com Feed
  • As an icebreaker (somehow I managed to fit this into my presentation) I started off by asking them, "Who knows about how many galaxies there are in the universe?" —  HinesSight
  • Perhaps it's hatred's heat that serves as an icebreaker, but whatever the reason the Heels played arguably their finest half of the season in Durham three weeks ago. —  Independent Weekly: All Recent Stories
 

Tags

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 233 times.

On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »

by American Heritage

Charts

frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word a few times a year.

Recently looked up

etheric · nutball · stickpin · expose · physiologists

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

telofy · ouagadougou lulu · mafia · spaghetti · pizza