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

Between bites of a chocolate ice cream bar, Coleman proposes continuing on toward Santa Clarita, via the twisties on Bouquet Canyon and Spunky Canyon roads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The front page of the Daily Star takes aim at the cost of an ice cream this summer.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

A Burbank landlord trying to land a trendy ice cream shop tenant got a critical assist from the city that helped seal the deal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Karen Kraus Cohen, a DCY addict in Walnut Creek, Calif., mixes Trader Joe’s plain nonfat yogurt with coffee ice cream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Either way, I hardly taste the ice cream as it melts on my tongue.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sherbet
• sorbet