ace

[ eys ]

/ eɪs /

Save This Word!

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; a 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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Other definitions for ace (2 of 3)

ace²

[ eys ]

/ eɪs /

Slang.

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

For a franchise still reeling from the death of ace José Fernández, the current Marlins’ promising staff looks like a solid starting point for Ng to build from.
Kim Ng’s Hiring Could Be The Start Of Something Special In Miami|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 16, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
He outpaced Minnesota Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda, Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu and New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, plus seven other pitchers who received a first-, second-, third-, fourth- or fifth-place vote.
Reds’ Trevor Bauer, Indians’ Shane Bieber capture Cy Young awards|Jesse Dougherty|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
It wasn’t even the first practice-round hole-in-one this week for Rahm, who used a 5-iron at the fourth hole Monday to drain that ace.
Jon Rahm’s pond-skipping hole-in-one at Augusta has been done before but was still incredible|Des Bieler|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
Pittsburgh aced its Week 8 test against the Ravens, holding on for a 28-24 win to remain undefeated.
NFL games on TV: Games will look different; Tom Brady vs. Drew Brees, Part 2|Cindy Boren|November 8, 2020|Washington Post

This October, their long-time ace Clayton Kershaw ended his personal postseason struggles.
The Dodgers Were The Best Team. And The Best Team Won.|Travis Sawchik|October 28, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Rowland clearly aced the "Buzzwords and Clichés" lesson in her Reality TV 101 course.
New ‘X Factor’ Judges. Same Horrible, Boring, Ridiculous Reality Show|Kevin Fallon|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Wiig aced her 2005 SNL tryout for Lorne Michaels by doing impressions of Drew Barrymore, Björk, Jessica Simpson, and Jane Pauley.
Kristen Wiig Blows Up|Bryan Curtis|May 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Ah stakes yo' to a white coat an' yo' is aced in as mah helpeh.
Lady Luck|Hugh Wiley

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 personan 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 ofhe 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)

Word Origin for 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 enzymeSee 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

ace

Idioms about ace

Origin of ace

Other definitions for ace (2 of 3)

Origin of ace

Other definitions for ace (3 of 3)

Words related to ace

How to use ace in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ace (1 of 2)

Word Origin for ace

British Dictionary definitions for ace (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with ace