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ice-cream social

American

noun

Chiefly Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S.

a social gathering, usually to raise money for a local church or school, where ice cream is the principal refreshment.

Etymology

Origin of ice-cream social

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The ice-cream social has become an annual ritual; this Independence Day, Spalding and Castle gave away more than four hundred sundaes.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 24, 2018

On their first Fourth of July in town, Castle and Spalding threw an ice-cream social, complete with gallons of homemade toppings, then sat around worrying that no one would show up.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 24, 2018

Prevette wasn’t suspended—he was kept out of his classroom for one day and missed an ice-cream social.

From Slate • Feb. 5, 2018

An old-fashioned festival with sack races, seed-spitting contests and an ice-cream social will follow.

From New York Times • Jun. 27, 2013

News in a town where an ice-cream social is a sensation and a dog fight suspends business for three hours?

From Homeburg Memories by Fitch, George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023