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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
George W. Bush, then the managing general partner of the Rangers, said the exit of the team’s ace was “the passing of an era.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Detroit Tigers free agent ace Tarik Skubal will miss time on the IL after elbow surgery, which means he’ll fit right into the Dodgers’ rotation next season.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
Toddlers must ace IQ tests to land spots at the most coveted schools, and tech execs wield seven-figure donations to advance their children’s interests.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
She conceded just three points in total in the fnal set and then wrapped up the match with her sixth ace of the afternoon.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
It was Barnie Buchanan, the air ace, right over our heads.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
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.
