dice

[dahys]

See more synonyms for dice on Thesaurus.com

plural noun, singular die.

small cubes of plastic, ivory, bone, or wood, marked on each side with one to six spots, usually used in pairs in games of chance or in gambling.
poker dice.
any of various games, especially gambling games, played by shaking and throwing from two to six dice or poker dice onto a flat surface.Compare craps.

any small cubes.
Auto Racing. a jockeying for lead position between two or more drivers in which tactics are used to pass or keep from being passed.

verb (used with object), diced, dic·ing.

to cut into small cubes.
to decorate with cubelike figures.
to lose by gambling with dice (often followed by away).

verb (used without object), diced, dic·ing.

to play at dice.
to cause or bring about by gambling with dice.
Auto Racing. to duel with another car or cars in a dice.

Idioms

no dice, Informal. of no use or help; ineffective.

Origin of dice

1300–50; Middle English dees, dis, dyce (singular and plural), dyces (plural) < Old French de(i)z, dés (plural); see die²

Related formsdic·er, noun

die

[dahy]

noun, plural dies for 1, 2, 4, dice for 3.

Machinery.
1. any of various devices for cutting or forming material in a press or a stamping or forging machine.
2. a hollow device of steel, often composed of several pieces to be fitted into a stock, for cutting the threads of bolts or the like.
3. one of the separate pieces of such a device.
4. a steel block or plate with small conical holes through which wire, plastic rods, etc., are drawn.
an engraved stamp for impressing a design upon some softer material, as in coining money.
singular of dice.
Architecture. dado(def 1).

verb (used with object), died, die·ing.

to impress, shape, or cut with a die.

Idioms

the die is cast, the irrevocable decision has been made; fate has taken charge: The die is cast—I can't turn back.

Origin of die

1300–50; Middle English de (in early Modern English taking the vowel of the plural form dice) < Old French de(i), presumbly < Latin datum given (neuter past participle of dare to give), perhaps in the derivative sense “put, placed,” hence “played, cast”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dice

shakers, ivories, bones

Examples from the Web for dice

Contemporary Examples of dice

So why are so many wealthy Florida business owners lining up to roll the dice?
Ganjapreneurs Line Up to Get Florida High
Abby Haglage
July 30, 2014
Instead, Obama, like Jon Stewart, uses jokes that slice and dice his targets by name.
The Daily Show President: Obama's Edgy Humor
Dean Obeidallah
July 5, 2014
Healthy individuals had lucked out while their sick relatives simple ended up with a bad genetic roll of the dice.
The Genetic Heroes That Could Cure the Sick
Carrie Arnold
July 1, 2014
We learning how to dice an onion into perfect, tiny cubes (the secret is not to remove the root when you peel the skin).
Thai Curry Therapy At London’s L’Atelier Des Chefs
Emma Woolf
February 3, 2014
Dice had just finished a stand-up show in Westbury, and his manager phoned to tell him Woody Allen wanted a meeting.
Andrew Dice Clay on ‘Blue Jasmine,’ His Alleged Misogyny, and More
Marlow Stern
July 25, 2013

Historical Examples of dice

When tender, drain them, remove the skins, and dice the beets.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
He learned of him how to play the dice, and a pack the cards—he paid him L1,000.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Have ready some toasted bread cut into small squares or dice.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Cut up the flesh of the claws and tail into dice, and stir it in.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Words, sir, never influence the course of the cards, or the course of the dice.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for dice

dice

pl n

cubes of wood, plastic, etc, each of whose sides has a different number of spots (1 to 6), used in games of chance and in gambling to give random numbers
Also called: die (functioning as singular) one of these cubes
small cubes as of vegetables, chopped meat, etc
no dice slang, mainly US and Canadian an expression of refusal or rejection

verb

to cut (food, etc) into small cubes
(intr) to gamble with or play at a game involving dice
(intr) to take a chance or risk (esp in the phrase dice with death)
(tr) Australian informal to abandon or reject
(tr) to decorate or mark with dicelike shapes

Derived Formsdicer, noun

Word Origin for dice

C14: plural of die ²

die

verb dies, dying or died (mainly intr)

(of an organism or its cells, organs, etc) to cease all biological activity permanentlyshe died of pneumonia
(of something inanimate) to cease to exist; come to an endthe memory of her will never die
(often foll by away, down, or out) to lose strength, power, or energy, esp by degrees
(often foll by away or down) to become calm or quiet; subsidethe noise slowly died down
to stop functioningthe engine died
to languish or pine, as with love, longing, etc
(usually foll by of) informal to be nearly overcome (with laughter, boredom, etc)
theol to lack spiritual life within the soul, thus separating it from God and leading to eternal punishment
(tr) to undergo or suffer (a death of a specified kind) (esp in phrases such as die a saintly death)
(foll by to) to become indifferent or apathetic (to)to die to the world
never say die informal never give up
die hard to cease to exist after resistance or a struggleold habits die hard
die in harness to die while still working or active, prior to retirement
be dying (foll by for or an infinitive) to be eager or desperate (for something or to do something)I'm dying to see the new house
to die for informal highly desirablea salary to die for

Word Origin for die

Old English dīegan, probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse deyja, Old High German touwen

usage

It was formerly considered incorrect to use the preposition from after die, but of and from are now both acceptable: he died of/from his injuries

die

noun

1. a shaped block of metal or other hard material used to cut or form metal in a drop forge, press, or similar device
2. a tool of metal, silicon carbide, or other hard material with a conical hole through which wires, rods, or tubes are drawn to reduce their diameter
an internally-threaded tool for cutting external threadsCompare tap 2 (def. 6)
a casting mould giving accurate dimensions and a good surface to the object castSee also die-cast
architect the dado of a pedestal, usually cubic
another name for dice (def. 2)
as straight as a die perfectly honest
the die is cast the decision that commits a person irrevocably to an action has been taken

Word Origin for die

C13 dee, from Old French de, perhaps from Vulgar Latin datum (unattested) a piece in games, noun use of past participle of Latin dare to play

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

Word Origin and History for dice

early 14c., des, dys, plural of dy (see die (n.)), altered 14c. to dyse, dyce, and 15c. to dice. "As in pence, the plural s retains its original breath sound, probably because these words were not felt as ordinary plurals, but as collective words" [OED]. Sometimes used as singular 1400-1700.

"to cut into cubes," late 14c., from dice (n.). Meaning "to play at dice" is from early 15c. Related: Diced; dicing.

die

mid-12c., possibly from Old Danish døja or Old Norse deyja "to die, pass away," both from Proto-Germanic *dawjanan (cf. Old Frisian deja "to kill," Old Saxon doian, Old High German touwen, Gothic diwans "mortal"), from PIE root *dheu- (3) "to pass away, become senseless" (cf. Old Irish dith "end, death," Old Church Slavonic daviti, Russian davit' "to choke, suffer").

It has been speculated that Old English had *diegan, from the same source, but it is not in any of the surviving texts and the preferred words were steorfan (see starve), sweltan (see swelter), wesan dead, also forðgan and other euphemisms.

Languages usually don't borrow words from abroad for central life experiences, but "die" words are an exception, because they are often hidden or changed euphemistically out of superstitious dread. A Dutch euphemism translates as "to give the pipe to Maarten." Regularly spelled dege through 15c., and still pronounced "dee" by some in Lancashire and Scotland. Used figuratively (of sounds, etc.) from 1580s. Related: Died; dies.

die

early 14c. (as a plural, late 14c. as a singular), from Old French de "die, dice," of uncertain origin. Common Romanic (cf. Spanish, Portuguese, Italian dado, Provençal dat, Catalan dau), perhaps from Latin datum "given," past participle of dare (see date (n.1)), which, in addition to "give," had a secondary sense of "to play" (as a chess piece); or else from "what is given" (by chance or Fortune). Sense of "stamping block or tool" first recorded 1690s.

dice in Medicine