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

The shop sells soft-serve ice cream, bubble teas, and shakes.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

Tanya Agnew bought an ice cream on the shop's last day of selling.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

A family-run ice cream shop will close its doors for the final time on Saturday after 103 years in business.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Mixue, which built its business around ultra-low-cost milk tea and ice cream, now has tens of thousands of stores, most operated by franchisees.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

I was so tired that I had eaten only chocolate bars, five or six of them every day, and spoonfuls of Eskimo ice cream.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sherbet
• sorbet