dice

American  

[dahys] / daɪs /

plural noun

1. 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.

2. poker dice.

3. any of various games, especially gambling games, played by shaking and throwing from two to six dice or poker dice onto a flat surface.

4. any small cubes.

5. 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, dicing

1. to cut into small cubes.

2. to decorate with cubelike figures.

3. to lose by gambling with dice (often followed byaway ).

verb (used without object)

diced, dicing

1. to play at dice.

2. to cause or bring about by gambling with dice.

3. Auto Racing. to duel with another car or cars in a dice.

idioms

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

dice British  

/ daɪs /

plural noun

1. 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

2. Also called: die.  (functioning as singular) one of these cubes

3. small cubes as of vegetables, chopped meat, etc

4. slang an expression of refusal or rejection

---

verb

1. to cut (food, etc) into small cubes

2. (intr) to gamble with or play at a game involving dice

3. (intr) to take a chance or risk (esp in the phrase dice with death )

4. informal (tr) to abandon or reject

5. (tr) to decorate or mark with dicelike shapes

dice More Idioms  

1. see load the dice; no deal (dice).

---

Usage

Plural word for dice Dice is the plural form of the singular noun die, referring to a small cube of plastic, ivory, or other material, marked on each side with one to six spots. The more standard English plural form dies is used for other senses of the word die but not for the small cube. Dice derives directly from this irregular noun’s original pluralization in Middle English. Dice is sometimes treated as both a singular and plural form of die. The singular die is less commonly used.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dicer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dice

1300–50; Middle English dees, dis, dyce (singular and plural), dyces (plural) < Old French de(i)z, dés (plural); see die ²

Explanation

Dice are what you roll when you're playing Yahtzee or Monopoly; they are two cubes marked with dots on each side that represent the numbers one through six. The noun dice is the plural form of the singular die. Although many people use the word dice when they're talking about a single die, it's actually only correct to call two or more of the dotted cubes dice. You can also use the word as a verb to mean "chop into tiny pieces or cubes." You might, for example, read a recipe instruction that says: "Dice three tomatoes."

Example Sentences

So investors with accounts at any of these five brokerages can roll the dice and try to get SpaceX shares at the IPO price.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop roleplaying game where players create fantasy characters and roll dice to determine whether their actions, like a sword attack or a persuasive argument, are successful against their foes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

That was until Farke made an almighty roll of the dice, summoning Calvert-Lewin and defender Jaka Bijol from the bench to switch from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Robert Coover’s novel of sports obsession invites readers into a baseball drama in which everything depends on a roll of the dice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

It was almost as if Mrs. Moss rolled dice to decide whom she would torment next.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter