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
More than 40 pupils from Cross and Passion College in Ballycastle were on board when their bus slid on black ice on the Coolkeeran Road near Armoy and hit a wall.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2024
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
Kind of like when you step on black ice and realize you’re going to fall a second before you actually slip.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
