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:

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ice cream

Barrier paper can be a difficult surface to bond, and using heat isn't suitable for heat sensitive food products like ice cream or chocolate.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

It's a mammoth task: The vast majority of the city's 20,500 licensed food carts -- selling pretzels, peanuts and ice cream -- rely on generators to power stoves, freezers and ventilators.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

The mayor recently proposed reforms to some regulations on small businesses, like no longer requiring restaurants to obtain a special permit to serve ice cream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Party Puffs started out selling ice cream and lemonade until Barham perfected his signature hot dog on a stick using his mother’s cornbread recipe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

We're all so psyched, we go out for ice cream to celebrate like it’s years ago and I’m five, but, man, that ice cream tastes so good.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sherbet
• sorbet