frosting

American  

[fraw-sting, fros-ting] / ˈfrɔ stɪŋ, ˈfrɒs tɪŋ /

noun

1. a sweet mixture, cooked or uncooked, for coating or filling cakes, cookies, and the like; icing.

2. a dull or lusterless finish, as on metal or glass.

3. a process of highlighting the hair by bleaching selected strands.

4. a material used for decorative work, as signs, displays, etc., made from coarse flakes of powdered glass.

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idioms

1. the frosting on the cake, something added to make a thing better or more desirable. Also icing on the cake.

frosting British  

/ ˈfrɒstɪŋ /

noun

1. a soft icing based on sugar and egg whites

2. Also called: icing.  a sugar preparation, variously flavoured and coloured, for coating and decorating cakes, biscuits, etc

3. a rough or matt finish on glass, silver, etc

4. slang the practice of stealing a car while the owner has left it idling to defrost the windows and heat the engine

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Other Word Forms

• nonfrosting
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of frosting

First recorded in 1610–20; frost + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

A soft, spice-warmed cake that layers apples three ways—applesauce in the crumb, roasted chunks folded through and a tangy apple butter frosting on top.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

One of the more polite children at our doomed gathering explained that she only liked the pink and blue frosting on supermarket cakes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Everything else is just frosting on the cake.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026

She punctuates the quip by taking a big bite, leaving a glob of frosting on her face.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026

Just when I think she's finished with all her props and is ready to toss up an ending, out comes a bust of Venus made from cake frosting.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• glaze