a playing card or die marked with or having the value indicated by a single spot.
He dealt me four aces in the first hand.
a single spot or mark on a playing card or die.
(in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.)
Also called service ace. a placement made on a service.
any placement.
a serve that the opponent fails to touch.
the point thus scored.
a fighter pilot credited with destroying a prescribed number or more of enemy aircraft, usually five, in combat.
a very skilled person; expert; adept.
an ace at tap dancing.
Slang. a one-dollar bill.
Slang. a close friend.
Golf.
Also called hole in one. a shot in which the ball is driven from the tee into the hole in one stroke.
He hit a 225-yard ace on the first hole.
a score of one stroke made on such a shot.
to card an ace.
Slang. a barbiturate or amphetamine capsule or pill.
a very small quantity, amount, or degree; a particle.
not worth an ace.
Slang. a grade of A; the highest grade or score.
(in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to win a point against (one's opponent) by an ace.
Golf. to make an ace on (a hole).
Slang. to cheat, defraud, or take advantage of (often followed byout ).
to be aced out of one's inheritance;
friend who aced me out of a good job.
Slang.
to receive a grade of A, as on a test or in a course (sometimes followed byout ).
to complete easily and successfully.
He aced every physical fitness test they gave him.
ace up one's sleeve, an important, effective, or decisive argument, resource, or advantage kept in reserve until needed.
easy aces, aces equally divided between opponents.
be aces with, to be highly regarded by.
The boss says you're aces with him.
within an ace of, within a narrow margin of; close to.
He came within an ace of winning.
American Council on Education.
Army Corps of Engineers.
any die, domino, or any of four playing cards with one spot
a single spot or pip on a playing card, die, etc
tennis a winning serve that the opponent fails to reach
golf a hole in one
a fighter pilot accredited with destroying several enemy aircraft
informal an expert or highly skilled person
an ace at driving
a hidden and powerful advantage
to have all the advantages or power
to use one's best weapon or resource
almost to the point of
he came within an ace of winning
tennis to serve an ace against
golf to play (a hole) in one stroke
to perform extremely well or score very highly in (an examination, etc)
(in Britain) Advisory Centre for Education; a private organization offering advice on schools to parents
Allied Command Europe
angiotensin-converting enzyme See ACE inhibitor
First recorded in 1250–1300, in 1795–1800 ace 1 for def. 5; from Middle English as, aas, ais, from Old French as, from Latin ass- (stem of as ) “a copper coin (originally weighing one pound), unit (of money, weight)”; sense 4 was taken directly from French as in World War I, and sense 5 developed from sense 4; see origin at as 2
First recorded in 2005–10; shortening of asexual ( def. )
An ace is a playing card with the highest value in a deck. There are four aces in a full deck of cards, each with a single heart, spade, diamond, or club pictured on it. Ace can also describe someone who's excellent at a particular skill: "He's an ace at making homemade jam!" In tennis, an ace is a point scored on a missed serve, and in golf it's a hole in one. When you ace something, you do a great job: "Just get in there and ace that math test today!" The earliest meaning was "one at dice," from the Latin as, "a unit, one, or a whole."
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Finally, the Sun leads with something that will excite soccer "ace" Cristiano Ronaldo's fans – he is due to play himself in a TV drama.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The team’s other marquee acquisitions—would-be ace Freddy Peralta, closer Devin Williams, infielder Jorge Polanco and outfielder Luis Robert—have also flopped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
More: Only 5% of U.S. adults can ace this 8-question financial-literacy test.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
Sinner did not offer a break point until midway through the third set but dismissed the 39-year-old Djokovic's only opportunity with an ace before going on to win 6-4 6-4 6-4.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
It was Barnie Buchanan, the air ace, right over our heads.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
Both groups also continued receiving standard treatment with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
An ACE score, identifying the severity of early trauma, is now routinely used in clinical settings and shapes decisions about trauma therapy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
“Setting up the ACE account was actually pretty complicated,” Wells added, referring to CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment portal for processing refund requests.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026
Venues and arts organisations also felt they "had to tick all the ACE boxes" to get funding, rather than explaining their artistic ambitions, she said.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
Marcus adjusted the ACE bandage on his knee.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
If he teams up with Jacob Misiorowski or Chris Sale in a five-game divisional round they could face three games against aces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
While the Wimbledon grass often suits 'servebots' - tall players who send down flurries of aces and unreturnable first serves - Fery has needed to use other weapons.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
But Draper restored his lead immediately and his serve, which has looked impressive upon his return, saw him through the opener with back-to-back aces.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Is that enough to force Roberts into the uncomfortable position of picking one of his aces over another, like a father picking one of his sons over another?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Died in a saloon like a common gambler caught with too many aces in his hand.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
Crucially, the United States aced its only chance to make a first impression, kicking off this colossal World Cup it’s co-hosting with Mexico and Canada with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026
"He was given what's called a mini-mental state exam and he aced it. He got 29 out of 30," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
They placed him on a track for software development after he aced the exams to get into an elite middle school that fed to a top university.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
The same AI that aced the genius test can’t count how many times the letter “R” appears in “strawberry.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
I’m about to tell her about the maths test I aced just before half term and the book we’ve just started in English, when she carries on.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Meanwhile he brags about acing three different cognitive tests in the last year.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2026
For years, high-schoolers have boasted in college applications about learning Latin, leading the chess club or acing Advanced Placement Physics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
He rose fast and steep - acing trials for Kent, London and the South East and England Counties - excelling at every level.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2024
“Bragging about acing a cognitive test while forgetting the name of the doctor who gave it to you is like writing on a résumé that you speak three languages and misspelling the word ‘languages.’”
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
If your kid was supersmart and acing tests, it was forgiven that he never hit a home run or scored a goal.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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.
