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rice
ricenounthe starchy seeds or grain of an annual marsh grass, Oryza sativa, cultivated in warm climates and used for food.
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Rice
RicenounAnne, 1941–2021, U.S. novelist.
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RICE
RICEacronymrest, ice, compression, elevation: the recommended procedure for controlling inflammation in injured limbs or joints
rice
1 Americannoun
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the starchy seeds or grain of an annual marsh grass, Oryza sativa, cultivated in warm climates and used for food.
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the grass itself.
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a food that is chopped or otherwise processed to resemble rice (used in combination): sweet potato rice.
cauliflower rice;
sweet potato rice.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Anne, 1941–2021, U.S. novelist.
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Dan Daniel McLaren, 1823–1900, U.S. circus clown, circus owner, and Union patriot.
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Elmer, 1892–1967, U.S. playwright.
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Jerry Lee, born 1962, U.S. football player.
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Grantland 1880–1954, U.S. journalist.
noun
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an erect grass, Oryza sativa , that grows in East Asia on wet ground and has drooping flower spikes and yellow oblong edible grains that become white when polished
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the grain of this plant
verb
acronym
noun
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have ricedperfect
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has ricedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been ricingperfect progressive
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are ricingprogressive
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has been ricingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is ricingprogressive 3rd person singular
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ricessingular 3rd person
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ricingparticiple
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am ricingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had ricedperfect
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was ricingprogressive singular
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ricedparticiple
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ricedsimple
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had been ricingperfect progressive
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were ricingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of rice
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English ris, rys, from Old French, from Italian riso, risi (in Medieval Latin risium ), from Medieval Greek orýzion, derivative of Greek óryza, from an Iranian language, e.g., Old Persian brizi, Pashto vrižē; akin to Sanskrit vrīhi-, perhaps ultimately of Dravidian origin
Explanation
Rice is a kind of plant, as well as the grain that comes from it. At some Chinese restaurants, you get a choice between white rice and brown rice. White rice is processed or "polished," so the outer germ is removed — it's a staple of Chinese and Indian cuisine, among others. There are many varieties of rice, defined by the color and length of the individual grain. When rice is a verb, it means "force through a sieve," or in other words, to take something like a potato and make it look like rice. We can trace the origin of rice back to the Sanskrit vrihi-s.
Vocabulary lists containing rice
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wheat, rice, cotton, sugar, cocoa and palm-oil production may be hit the hardest.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Wheat, rice, cotton, sugar, cocoa and palm-oil production may be hit the hardest, Marex analysts wrote in a recent report called “El Niño and Agriculture: Weather Shocks, Supply Risk and Market Pricing.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
There’s arroz con lentejas, a vegetarian take on “arroz con gandules” that literally translates to rice with lentils.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
Wash and rinse the rice before soaking it in a fresh bowl of water for 20 to 25 minutes.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
Dishes of bean cakes and rice balls had been placed on the altar shelf for ghostly visitors.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.