soft serve

American

[sawft surv, soft] / ˈsɔft ˌsɜrv, ˈsɒft /

noun

a smooth-textured, soft ice cream that is aerated in a machine to reduce its density and pumped into a cone or cup rather than scooped like traditional hard-packed ice cream.

Other Word Forms

soft-serve adjective

Etymology

Origin of soft serve

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

On Thursday evening, Mixue customers stood outside — the shop does not offer seating — eating soft serve and sipping on boba milk tea and the store’s signature grape drink with taro balls.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

Don’t forget to finish with soft serve from the ice cream stand.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

Most of the time I also get the vanilla soft serve with strawberry sauce.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024

He credits the nostalgia of summertime and boardwalks and how his soft serve is a "high end product, but in a fun and playful manner."

From Salon • May 16, 2024

Cover again and when the crackers are soft, serve in soup plates.

From Home Pork Making by Fulton, A. W.

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