ace

[ eys ]

See synonyms for ace on Thesaurus.com

noun

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 serv·ice 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.

verb (used with object),aced, ac·ing.

(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 by out): 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 by out).
- to complete easily and successfully: He aced every physical fitness test they gave him.

adjective

Sometimes aces . excellent; first-rate; outstanding.

Verb Phrases

ace it, Slang. to accomplish something with complete success: a champion who could ace it every time.

Idioms about ace

ace up one's sleeve, an important, effective, or decisive argument, resource, or advantage kept in reserve until needed.
be aces with, Slang. to be highly regarded by: The boss says you're aces with him.

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

Origin of ace

First recorded in 1250–1300, in 1795–1800 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 as²

Words Nearby ace

Other definitions for ace (2 of 3)

ace²

[ eys ]

noun

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

experiencing little or no sexual attraction to other people: As someone who identifies as ace, this article gave me much food for thought.

Origin of ace

First recorded in 2005–10; shortening of asexual

Other definitions for ACE (3 of 3)

ACE

abbreviation

American Council on Education.
Army Corps of Engineers.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ace in a sentence

Meanwhile, Montas has looked like an ace with a splitter he added that produced the fifth-best whiff-per-swing mark of its kind last season.
The A’s Aren’t Just Scrappy. They’ve Got Stars. | Travis Sawchik | August 13, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Staff ace Max Scherzer has enjoyed seven-straight top-five Cy Young finishes and shows little sign of slowing.
The Dodgers Lead Our National League Predictions, But Don’t Count Out The Nats Or … Reds? | Travis Sawchik | July 22, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
A sleeper NL Cy Young candidate is ace Chris Paddack, who was limited to 140 ⅔ innings as a rookie last season by the cautious Padres.
The Dodgers Lead Our National League Predictions, But Don’t Count Out The Nats Or … Reds? | Travis Sawchik | July 22, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Do you have a high ace score — adverse childhood experiences.
The Opioid Tragedy, Part 2: “It’s Not a Death Sentence” (Ep. 403) | Stephen J. Dubner | January 23, 2020 | Freakonomics
There’s also the fact that painkillers are, by their nature, a desirable medication — they literally make your pain stop — so you can imagine patients demanding them a bit more adamantly than they’d demand a statin or an ace inhibitor.
The Opioid Tragedy, Part 1: “We’ve Addicted an Entire Generation” (Ep. 402) | Stephen J. Dubner | January 16, 2020 | Freakonomics

An ace comedic turn that, in lesser hands, would come off as one-note.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’ | Marlow Stern | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
My grandfather lived fast and large—he liked his liquor and his tobacco, and he was also an ace gambler.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History | Katie Baker | October 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Time and time again, we see women being asked to ace some arbitrary test in order to be deemed model victims.
Why We're So Hard on Janay Rice and Celebrity Survivors of Abuse | Amy Zimmerman | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He is getting ready to watch Jack Morris, the Tigers ace, go for win number nineteen against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Elmore Leonard’s Rocky Road to Fame and Fortune | Mike Lupica | September 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
After the war Valerie married Peter Middleton, a wartime RAF flying ace.
Kate Middleton’s Code-Breaking Granny: Duchess Uncovers Wartime Secrets | Tim Teeman | June 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He has drawn a knave and a six; he takes another card; this turns out to be an ace.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
It must be an ace or a king and queen above the average if only two suits are protected.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
Without an ace, four kings, two queens and a knave are required in order to justify the declaration.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
With three honours any two of which are in sequence (not to the ace) the player should lead the higher of the sequence.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
The worst throw was when the four pieces exposed the same number on each, and that number an ace.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian Sharman

British Dictionary definitions for ace (1 of 2)

ace

/ (eɪs) /

noun

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, mainly US a hole in one
a fighter pilot accredited with destroying several enemy aircraft
informal an expert or highly skilled person: an ace at driving
an ace up one's sleeve or an ace in the hole a hidden and powerful advantage
hold all the aces to have all the advantages or power
play one's ace to use one's best weapon or resource
within an ace of almost to the point of: he came within an ace of winning

adjective

informal superb; excellent

verb(tr)

tennis to serve an ace against
golf, mainly US to play (a hole) in one stroke

US and Canadian to perform extremely well or score very highly in (an examination, etc)

Origin of ace

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

British Dictionary definitions for ACE (2 of 2)

ACE

/ (eɪs) /

n acronym for

(in Britain) Advisory Centre for Education; a private organization offering advice on schools to parents
Allied Command Europe

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with ace

ace

In addition to the idioms beginning with ace

ace in the hole
ace it
ace out

also see:

hold all the aces
within an ace of

Browse