icebreaker
/ˈaɪsˌbɹeɪkəɹ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.82 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A ship designed to break through ice so that it, or other ships coming behind, can navigate on frozen seas.
noun
A game, activity, humorous anecdote, etc., designed to ease tension and encourage interaction among individuals in a situation where they do not know each other well.
noun
A lively song and dance routine at the start of a musical.
Example Sentences
- "The steel hulls of ice-breakers are much thicker than those of standard vessels."
- "My father's Bonneville was cutting its way toward us like an icebreaker moving through my whole state of consciousness."
- "The Australian Antarctic Division’s chartered icebreaker the Aurora Australis on a previous mission wedged in ice in Commonwealth Bay 10 nautical miles from Mawson’s Hut in Antarctica."
- "The new college hallmates were awkward with each other at first, but after a game of charades as an icebreaker, they were laughing like old friends."
- "The key purpose of an icebreaker is to introduce your group members to each other and to introduce your training session topic. A well-planned icebreaker ensures that a training session will start with more involvement and focus."
- "At the moment the curtain went up there had to be a lively ensemble number of principals and chorus singing and dancing, the traditional “icebreaker” that also covered up the noise of late-arriving ticket holders getting to their seats."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈaɪsˌbɹeɪkəɹ/