Break the Ice Meaning, Definition, Example, Synonyms 

The idiom Break the ice meaning is ideally suited for someone who is good at initiating a conversation. However, a person can only act as an icebreaker when there is a tense situation between two persons, at a party, in a meeting, etc. 

Back in the 1600s, the sailors used to practice boating in the sea, while sometimes even going through and breaking ice burgs. Since then the idiom became synonymous with overcoming difficulties.

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Usage with Examples

Break the Ice is well-suited to symbolise a scenario where a group of people are in a room but are strangers to each other. In such situations, someone has to be the extrovert in the room and initiate a conversation. 

Let’s take a closer look at these examples to master the usage of the idiom Break the Ice with meaning: 

• John tried to break the ice at the networking event by telling a funny joke.
• Sarah brought up a common interest in breaking the ice with her new colleague during lunch.
• The teacher organized a team-building activity to help the students break the ice on the first day of class.

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Break the Ice Synonyms

You can also use these synonymous phrases of breaking the ice having similar meanings:\

• Warm-up
• Initiate conversation
• Start a dialogue
• Ease the tension
• Get things rolling

Break the Ice Meaning Quiz

During the awkward silence, Mark decided to break the ice by:

• Looking out of the window
• Asking everyone about their weekend plans.
• Collecting all the documents silently. 

Answer: Asking everyone about their weekend plans.

Also Read: Idioms for IELTS

This was all about the idiom ‘Break the Ice’ meaning and definition. Hopefully, you understood the concept where it’s used. For more such blogs, follow Leverage Edu.