Icing

/ˈaɪsɪŋ/

nounBeginner📊CommonGeneral
2 meanings1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A sweet, often creamy, coating used on cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.

/ˈaɪsɪŋ/

nounpositiveBeginner
General

A sweet, creamy coating for baked goods.

The cupcakes were decorated with colorful icing.

💡 Simply: Icing is like the delicious, colorful stuff you put on cakes and cookies to make them look and taste even better! Think of it as the fancy clothes for your dessert.

👶 For kids: Icing is the yummy, sweet stuff on top of a cake or cookie!

More Examples

2

She carefully applied the icing to the birthday cake.

3

The icing was so sweet, it made my teeth hurt.

How It's Used

Culinary

"The baker spread a thick layer of icing on the cake."

Informal

"He added a final touch of icing on his new car by buying it in black."

2

To cover something with icing.

/ˈaɪsɪŋ/

verbneutralmedium
General

To cover or coat with icing.

The baker was icing the cake with delicate swirls.

💡 Simply: To ice something means to put the sweet stuff (icing!) on top of it. Like, you're going to ice the cake after it's baked.

👶 For kids: To ice something means to put the sweet stuff on top.

More Examples

2

He iced the cupcakes and let them set.

3

She carefully iced each cookie before decorating it.

How It's Used

Culinary

"She spent hours icing the cookies for the party."

Tip:Visualize someone carefully applying icing with a spatula.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

icing on the cake

Something that makes a good situation even better; an additional benefit.

"Winning the lottery was great, but the trip to Paris was the icing on the cake."

From Middle English ising, a derivative of ice. The term was first used in the context of food in the 17th century.

Used from the 17th century onward, initially in the context of preserving food and later for decorating baked goods.

Memory tip

Imagine the sweetness and visual appeal that icing adds to a cake.

Word Origin

LanguageMiddle English
Original meaning

"From 'ice', referencing its cooling properties or the cooling of baked goods with a coating. "

chocolate icingvanilla icingapply icingspread icingicing sugar

Common misspellings

isingiceing

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written