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

I like scooped ice cream during the day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Late night, I like to eat soft serve, versus scooped, ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

It was an ice cream chain in a city where I no longer live.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Innovation in ice cream is not just limited to flavour, according to Honorata Jarocka, associate director at market intelligence company, Mintel.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Papa shot Ella a look and picked Winnie up like she was nothing more than a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sherbet
• sorbet