ice cream

American  

noun

1. a frozen food containing cream or milk and butterfat, sugar, flavoring, and sometimes eggs.

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ice cream British  

noun

1. a kind of sweetened frozen liquid, properly made from cream and egg yolks but often made from milk or a custard base, flavoured in various ways

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Etymology

Origin of ice cream

First recorded in 1735–45

Compare meaning

How does ice-cream compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• custard vs. ice cream
• sorbet vs. ice cream
• ice milk vs. ice cream
• frozen custard vs. ice cream

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ice cream

The council said the law required a 19:00 cut-off time for ice cream van operators to use their chimes, but it did not "prevent them from trading after this time".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

An ice cream man has been hit with a noise complaint by someone who did not like the loud chimes from his van.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Van Leeuwen had expected to have to wait until next year, but was able to open its doors in time for peak ice cream season, summer, in part because of the city’s help.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Then the ice cream man returns to refuel his targeted customers, who try to convert our well-cast, engaging trio of young double-scoop holdouts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

But a few minutes later, the waitress comes back out holding an ice cream cake, plus a stack of dessert plates.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sherbet
• sorbet