Slang & idioms
"break the ice", drawn literally
Literally

break the ice

(phrase)Neutral

What it actually means

To say or do something that eases tension and starts a conversation between strangers.

In a sentence

  • “He told a joke to break the ice with the new team.”
  • “Asking about her dog finally broke the ice.”

Also known as

warm upget the ball rolling

Where it’s used

everyday

Listen + practice

Hear it spoken naturally

Read the expression aloud — we’ll score your pronunciation and flag the sounds to work on.

Click to record

More idioms like this

break the ice — American slang definition + audio