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View synonyms for ace

ace

1

[ eys ]

noun

  1. 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.

  2. a single spot or mark on a playing card or die.
  3. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.)
    1. Also called service ace. a placement made on a service.
    2. any placement.
    3. a serve that the opponent fails to touch.
    4. the point thus scored.
  4. a fighter pilot credited with destroying a prescribed number or more of enemy aircraft, usually five, in combat.
  5. a very skilled person; expert; adept:

    an ace at tap dancing.

  6. Slang. a one-dollar bill.
  7. Slang. a close friend.
  8. Golf.
    1. 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.

    2. a score of one stroke made on such a shot:

      to card an ace.

  9. Slang. a barbiturate or amphetamine capsule or pill.
  10. a very small quantity, amount, or degree; a particle:

    not worth an ace.

  11. Slang. a grade of A; the highest grade or score.


verb (used with object)

, aced, ac·ing.
  1. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to win a point against (one's opponent) by an ace.
  2. Golf. to make an ace on (a hole).
  3. Slang. to cheat, defraud, or take advantage of (often followed by out ):

    to be aced out of one's inheritance;

    friend who aced me out of a good job.

  4. Slang.
    1. to receive a grade of A, as on a test or in a course (sometimes followed by out ).
    2. to complete easily and successfully:

      He aced every physical fitness test they gave him.

adjective

  1. Sometimes aces. excellent; first-rate; outstanding.

verb phrase

  1. Slang. to accomplish something with complete success:

    a champion who could ace it every time.

ace

2

[ eys ]

noun

  1. a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to other people; asexual:

    She's an ace, but she's had a couple of romantic relationships.

adjective

  1. experiencing little or no sexual attraction to other people:

    As someone who identifies as ace, this article gave me much food for thought.

ACE

3

abbreviation for

  1. American Council on Education.
  2. Army Corps of Engineers.

ace

1

/ eɪs /

noun

  1. any die, domino, or any of four playing cards with one spot
  2. a single spot or pip on a playing card, die, etc
  3. tennis a winning serve that the opponent fails to reach
  4. golf a hole in one
  5. a fighter pilot accredited with destroying several enemy aircraft
  6. informal.
    an expert or highly skilled person

    an ace at driving

  7. an ace up one's sleeve or an ace in the hole
    a hidden and powerful advantage
  8. hold all the aces
    to have all the advantages or power
  9. play one's ace
    to use one's best weapon or resource
  10. within an ace of
    almost to the point of

    he came within an ace of winning

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. informal.
    superb; excellent
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tennis to serve an ace against
  2. golf to play (a hole) in one stroke
  3. to perform extremely well or score very highly in (an examination, etc)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ACE

2

/ eɪs /

acronym for

  1. (in Britain) Advisory Centre for Education; a private organization offering advice on schools to parents
  2. Allied Command Europe
  3. angiotensin-converting enzyme See ACE inhibitor
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ace1

First recorded in 1250–1300, in 1795–1800 ace 1fordef 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; as 2

Origin of ace2

First recorded in 2005–10; shortening of asexual ( def )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ace1

C13: via Old French from Latin as a unit, perhaps from a Greek variant of heis one
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. ace up one's sleeve, an important, effective, or decisive argument, resource, or advantage kept in reserve until needed.
  2. be aces with, Slang. to be highly regarded by:

    The boss says you're aces with him.

  3. easy aces, Auction Bridge. aces equally divided between opponents.
  4. within an ace of, within a narrow margin of; close to:

    He came within an ace of winning.

More idioms and phrases containing ace

  • hold all the aces
  • within an ace of
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Example Sentences

“If you have a system that can ace that database, then it’s game over for mathematicians.”

Madison Hamilton graduated from Canoga Park Senior High School in spring with multiple accolades: She was high school valedictorian with a 4.5 GPA who aced all eight of her AP tests.

You assembled an ace cast that includes a wonderfully quirky ensemble of septuagenarians who portray the residents of the Pacific View Retirement Residence.

"A few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company and they offered me a health scan in return, which I thought I was going to ace," she said in a video.

From BBC

She wore her hair short, shot tigers and was an ace polo player.

From BBC

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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.

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