ICE
See also: Appendix:Variations of "ice"
English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- Pronounced as ice (/aÉȘs/) or spelled out as I C E according to sense.
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Proper noun
ICE
- (sports) Abbreviation of Iceland.
- Initialism of Institution of Civil Engineers.
- (government, US) Acronym of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (âlaw-enforcement agency responsible for immigration and customs matters of the United States Federal governmentâ).
- 2018 May 22, Liz Robbins, Maya Salam, ââI Am Not Racistâ: Lawyer Issues Apology One Week After Rantâ, in The New York Timesâ[1], archived from the original on 11 April 2023:
- Mr. Schlossbergâs rant angered activists for immigrant rights, who said it reinforced stereotypes that Spanish speakers are not citizens. And they worried that it perpetuated fear within immigrant communities of ICEâs aggressive tactics to deport those who are undocumented.
- 2025 January 26, Priscilla Alvarez and Rosa Flores, âTrump administration launches nationwide immigration enforcement blitzâ, in CNNâ[2], archived from the original on 27 January 2025:
- ICE agents were joined Sunday by officials from multiple Justice Department agencies as they targeted what they said are public safety and national security threats.
- (rail transport) Initialism of Intercity-Express (âGerman high speed trainâ).
Noun
ICE (plural ICEs)
- (automotive) Acronym of internal combustion engine.
- 2017 May 18, James Foxall, âElectric car drivers face queues and quarrelsâ, in The Daily Telegraphâ[3], archived from the original on 2 August 2025:
- âICE-ing is EV owner-speak for when an internal combustion engine (ICE) car blocks or parks in a charging point space. On EV internet forums, stories of drivers being ICEd abound. But rather than scuffles breaking out, if stories are to be believed, British EV drivers resort to leaving notes and icy stares when the offending ICE driver returns.
- (programming) Initialism of internal compiler error.
- (computing) Initialism of in-circuit emulator/emulation.
- (automotive) Initialism of in-car entertainment.
- Synonym: IVI
- Initialism of International Cultural Exchange.
- (medicine) Initialism of ice, compress, elevation (first-aid).
- Initialism of intercontinental exchange.
- 2011 January 20, Nathanial Gronewold and John J. Fialka, âEuropean Commission Halts Transfers of Carbon Emissions Allowances Until Thefts Are Sorted Outâ, in The New York Timesâ[4], archived from the original on 11 June 2024:
- But ICE says futures trading in a variety of carbon-linked financial instruments -- where the bulk of trading activity occurs -- would continue apace. That includes trading in futures and options contracts for EUAs and the carbon offsets credits issued by U.N. organizations, the Certified Emission Reduction futures and options and Emission Reduction Unit futures.
Phrase
ICE
- Initialism of in case of emergency, used in mobile phones followed by the number to call if the phoneâs owner is injured.
Verb
ICE (third-person singular simple present ICEs, present participle ICEing, simple past and past participle ICEd)
- (automotive, slang) To occupy a reserved electric car parking space (especially one equipped with a charger) with a traditional car equipped with an internal combustion engine.
- 2017 May 18, James Foxall, âElectric car drivers face queues and quarrelsâ, in The Daily Telegraphâ[5], archived from the original on 2 August 2025:
- âWe do get charge rage if someone ICEs your bay. And people donât like it if someone parks a Tesla to charge for two hours. When your car has finished charging, our message is: move it.â
ICE-ing is EV owner-speak for when an internal combustion engine (ICE) car blocks or parks in a charging point space. On EV internet forums, stories of drivers being ICEd abound.
- 2020 April 29, Graeme Paton, âToo many electric car charging spaces being blockedâ, in The Timesâ[6], archived from the original on 4 October 2021:
- Clearer signs for electric vehicle charge points are needed to prevent drivers of petrol and diesel cars blocking access, the government has been told. [âŠ] It was claimed that the blocking of charge points by internal combustion engine cars â known as spaces being âicedâ out â was a serious problem.
- (slang, neologism, transitive, uncommon) To apprehend or deport by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Adjective
ICE (comparative more ICE, superlative most ICE)
- Initialism of isolated, confined, extreme.
- 2024 June 20, Eva Corlett, âFidlets, fingies and riding a doo: study sheds light on Antarctic English slangâ, in The Guardianâ[7]:
- Antarctica, like outer-space, is known as an ICE environment â isolated, confined and extreme â meaning unlike other isolated communities, the rate of change for its vocabulary can be slower.
See also
Anagrams
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from English ICE (âImmigration and Customs Enforcementâ).
Proper noun
ICE m
- Servicio de InmigraciĂłn y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos; ICE.
- 2025 June 20, Randi Kaye and David von Blohn, âEl ICE renueva acuerdo con el centro de detenciĂłn que, segĂșn la agencia, no cumplĂa las normasâ, in CNN en Españolâ[8], archived from the original on 24 June 2025:
- El ICE añadiĂł que la pausa tambiĂ©n se debĂa a âlas persistentes preocupaciones relacionadas con la prestaciĂłn de atenciĂłn mĂ©dica a los detenidosâ.
- ICE added that the pause was also due to "persistent concerns related to the provision of medical care to detainees."