Dice Meaning
/daɪs/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounGaming with one or more dice.
nounA die.
Sentence Examples
He had his girlfriend blow on the dice for luck before he threw them.
God doesn't play dice with the universe.
We'll decide it like men. Bring the dice!
CEFR Practice Quiz
He rolled the ____ on the table to determine his next move.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had his girlfriend blow on the ____ for luck before he threw them.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English dys, plural of dy. See the etymology of die (etymology 2) for further information. The voiceless /s/ was most likely retained because the word felt like a collective term rather than a plural form (compare pence), and the spelling dice is a result of the pronunciation.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Or think of a decent young citizen in a toga—perhaps too much dice, you know—coming out here in the train of some prefect, or tax-gatherer, or trader even, to mend his fortunes."
— 1899 (please specify the page), Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part:
"On the other hand, evolution is not a matter of chance, even in the sense in which a game of dice is a game of chance."
— 1964, Theodosius Grigorievich Dobzhansky, Heredity and the nature of man:
"I, at any rate, am convinced that He is not playing at dice."
— 1971, Albert Einstein, Max Born, Hedwig Born. Irene Born (tr.), The Born-Einstein Letters, page 91:
"The problem is that no one can throw a die twice in precisely the same way, and this is why dice is a game of chance and not a skill."
— 1990, Ivar Ekeland, Mathematics and the Unexpected, page 67:
"A white house set like a dice on a rock already venerable with the scars of wind and water."
— 1945, Lawrence Durrell, Prospero's Cell: A Guide to the Landscape and Manners of the Island of Corfu:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He rolled the ____ on the table to determine his next move.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had his girlfriend blow on the ____ for luck before he threw them.