break the ice
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: icebreaker
Sense 1
To do or say something that relieves initial awkwardness and gets a conversation or event started.
Làm điều gì đó giảm bớt sự khó xử ban đầu và khởi động cuộc trò chuyện hoặc sự kiện
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Meetings, first dates, classrooms — any situation with initial social stiffness.
Register: neutralConnotation: friendlyEra: 16th century – present
Examples
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Sense 2
to make a commencement, to plunge in medias res.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “break the ice” mean?
To do or say something that relieves initial awkwardness and gets a conversation or event started. Literally: To crack the frozen surface of water.
Is “break the ice” formal or informal?
break the ice is generally neutral; connotation: friendly.