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ICS

1 American  

  1. International College of Surgeons.

-ics 2 American  

  1. a suffix of nouns that denote a body of facts, knowledge, principles, etc., usually corresponding to adjectives ending in -ic or -ical: ethics; physics; politics; tactics .

-ics 1 British  

suffix

  1. indicating a science, art, or matters relating to a particular subject

    aeronautics

    politics

  2. indicating certain activities or practices

    acrobatics
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ICS 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. Indian Civil Service

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Grammar

Nouns ending in -ics that name fields of study, sciences, arts, professions, or the like are usually not preceded by an article and are used with a singular verb: Acoustics (the science) deals with sound. Politics (the art of government) fascinates me. In certain uses, often when preceded by a determiner like the, his, her, or their, most of these nouns can take a plural verb: The acoustics (the sound-reflecting qualities) of the hall are splendid. Their politics (political opinions) have antagonized everyone.

Etymology

Origin of -ics

Plural of -ic, representing Latin -ica (< Greek -ika, neuter plural of -ikos ), as in rhētórica (plural) rhetoric book

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 professors found that a 1-percentage-point increase in January’s ICS is correlated with a 2.4% higher stock-market return over the subsequent 11 months.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026

The screening data was included in a report on women’s health across the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS, that focussed on work to establish women’s health hubs.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2024

"We believe that our official Anthropocene Working Group has been disbanded by ICS, though again they have not felt it of importance to notify us of this," Waters said.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2024

Despite his personal opposition, Finney says he won’t stand in the way if the ICS is open and follows procedure.

From Science Magazine • May 5, 2022

The main stratigraphic unit is a formation, which according to the ICS, should be established with the following principles in mind:

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.