black ice
Americannoun
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a thin sheet of ice, as on a road surface, usually caused by freezing mist and creating hazardous driving conditions.
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Oceanography. sea ice that is clear enough to show the color of the water underneath.
noun
Etymology
Origin of black ice
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
All public bus services in Paris and the surrounding suburbs were also suspended because of icy roads, with almost half of the country's mainland on alert for heavy snow and black ice.
From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026
Almost half of mainland France was on alert for heavy snow and black ice, with lorries banned from the roads in some areas.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
There were more than four hours of delays traveling down the mountain because of black ice, coach Robert Maxie said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2024
New Yorkers have been warned that roads could be covered with black ice this weekend.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 20, 2024
But, lying on the black ice there, Billy stared into the patina of the corporal’s boots, saw Adam and Eve in the golden depths.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
