break the ice
English
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break the ice
- /ˈbɹeɪk ði ˈaɪs/ UK, US
Where it comes from
By application of the metaphor that strangers are socially separated by ice.
verb breaks the ice · breaking the ice · broke the ice · broken the ice
- To start to get to know people to avoid social awkwardness and formality. Including a few fun details in large group introductions can be a great way to break the ice.
- To introduce a conversation. If it be so ſir, that you are the man Muſt ſteed us all, and me amongſt the reſt: And if you breake the ice and do this ſeeke, Atchieve the elder: ſet the yonger free, For our acceſſe, whose hap ſhall be to have her, will not so graceleſſe be, to be ingrate.
- To surmount initial difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see break, the, ice.
Translations
Every language
verb to start to get to know people, by avoiding awkwardness
| Español | romper el hielo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 口火を切る kuchibi o kiru, 言い出す iidasu |
| 中文 | 打破僵局 dǎpò jiāngjú, 打破冷場 /打破冷场 dǎpò lěngchǎng, 破冰 pòbīng |
| हिन्दी | बात-चीत की औपचारिकता हटाना bāt-cīt kī aupcāriktā haṭānā |
| Português | quebrar o gelo |
| Français | briser la glace |
| Deutsch | das Eis brechen |
| Italiano | rompere il ghiaccio |
| Ελληνικά | σπάζω τον πάγο spázo ton págo, σπάω τον πάγο spáo ton págo |
| Română | sparge gheața |
| Русский | сде́лать пе́рвый шаг sdélatʹ pérvyj šag, положи́ть нача́ло položítʹ načálo |
Talk about this word "break the ice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/break%20the%20ice. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. break the ice. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/break%20the%20ice "break the ice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/break%20the%20ice.Cite this
@misc{break_the_ice_2026,
title = {break the ice},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/break%20the%20ice},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
