1
: a sweet flavored usually creamy mixture used to coat baked goods (such as cupcakes)
called also frosting
2
: something that adds to the interest, value, or appeal of an item or event
—often used in the phrase icing on the cake
: an illegal act by an ice hockey player of shooting a puck from within the defensive zone or defensive half of the rink beyond the opponents' goal line but not into the goal
Examples of icing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Think of compost starters and accelerators as the icing on the compost cake.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2025
And the second-rounder might be the icing on the cake.
—Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
The icing on the cake is that futuristic AI would almost certainly be familiar with the paperclip maximizer dilemma.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icing
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Noun
If De Bruyne was the icing on the cake, Silva was the cake.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Think of compost starters and accelerators as the icing on the compost cake.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2025
And the second-rounder might be the icing on the cake.
—Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
The icing on the cake is that futuristic AI would almost certainly be familiar with the paperclip maximizer dilemma.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for icing
Cite this Entry
“Icing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/icing. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
icing
1 of 2 noun
ic·ing
ˈī-siŋ 
1
: a sweet coating for baked goods (as cakes)
called also frosting
2
: something that adds to the interest, value, or appeal of an item or event
—often used in the phrase icing on the cake
icing
2 of 2 noun
: the shooting of a hockey puck the length of the rink and beyond the opponent's goal line
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