Shobdo Logo
MW→icebreaker

icebreaker

Flag: gbEnglishMerriam-Webster Dictionary
ice​break​er
noun
ice·​break·​er
ˈīs-ˌbrā-kər

Definition

  • a ship equipped (as with a reinforced bow) to make and maintain a channel through ice
  • something that is done or said to get through the first difficulties in starting a conversation or discussion //Roughly half of all Americans are invested in the market these days, and stock holdings have replaced politics, weather and sports as the go-to conversational icebreaker. — Adam Bryant //… she also pays particular attention to icebreakers that relax guests and get them rubbing elbows, such as a cruise up the Colorado River, where guests nibble on hors d'oeuvres and sip Fall Creek wines. — Steve Heimoff
    — see also break the ice at break entry 1
Examples
  • //using an old joke as a conversational icebreaker
First Known Use
1825, in the meaning defined at sense 2
ice​break​er
noun
ice·​break·​er
ˈīs-ˌbrā-kər

Definition

  • a ship equipped (as with a reinforced bow) to make and maintain a channel through ice
  • something that is done or said to get through the first difficulties in starting a conversation or discussion //Roughly half of all Americans are invested in the market these days, and stock holdings have replaced politics, weather and sports as the go-to conversational icebreaker. — Adam Bryant //… she also pays particular attention to icebreakers that relax guests and get them rubbing elbows, such as a cruise up the Colorado River, where guests nibble on hors d'oeuvres and sip Fall Creek wines. — Steve Heimoff
    — see also break the ice at break entry 1
Examples
  • //using an old joke as a conversational icebreaker
First Known Use
1825, in the meaning defined at sense 2
icebreaker — MW · Shobdo