noun
icebreaker
YS-bray-kuhr
noun
1
A ship built with a reinforced hull to smash through frozen sea ice, clearing a path for other vessels.
"The icebreaker cut a channel through the frozen harbor."
2
An activity, question, or joke used to relax people and get conversation going when they don't know each other well.
"The workshop opened with a quick icebreaker to get everyone talking."
"She used a silly icebreaker question to loosen up the room."
How to Use Icebreaker
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a ship that breaks through ice, or a small activity that helps strangers start talking.
Common pairings
an icebreaker question
an icebreaker game
an icebreaker ship
Word Forms
icebreakers plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “icebreaker”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The _____ cut a channel through the frozen harbor.
Etymology
From ice + breaker; the social sense comes from the idiom "to break the ice."