# dice

/ˈdaɪs/ (US) · /dˈaɪs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dice
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. gaming cubes

noun · CEFR A2

small cubes with dots on each side, used in games to get a random number.

For teachers: small cubes marked on each face with one to six pips, used in gaming to generate random numbers.

- He rolled the dice and got a six, which meant he could start the game.
- The board game requires players to roll a pair of dice and move their tokens according to the sum of the pips.

### 2. to cut into cubes

verb · CEFR B1

to cut food, like vegetables or meat, into very small square pieces.

For teachers: to cut food into small, uniform cubes, typically smaller than a chop.

- You should dice the onions finely before adding them to the hot pan.
- The recipe instructs the chef to dice the carrots into five-millimetre cubes to ensure they cook at the same rate as the peas.

Usage: This is a transitive verb that requires a direct object, usually a food item.

### 3. food cut into cubes

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

food that has already been cut into small squares.

For teachers: a quantity of food that has been processed into small cubes.

- Add the dice of ham to the salad for extra flavour.
- The chef prepared a neat dice of root vegetables to be used as a garnish for the beef consommé.

### 4. to gamble

verb · CEFR B2

to play games using dice, often for money.

For teachers: to play or gamble using dice.

- They spent the evening dicing in the back room of the club.
- The sailors were known for dicing away their wages before their ship had even left the harbour.

## Examples

- Add the dice of carrots to the boiling soup.
- The recipe requires a fine dice of onions to ensure they cook quickly and evenly in the sauce.
- Achieving a perfectly uniform dice is a fundamental skill for any professional chef, as it ensures that every piece of vegetable reaches the same level of tenderness simultaneously.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.