dice
small cube used in games
Small cubes with dots for numbers that you roll in games to get a random number.
[someone] rolls the dice
- He shook the dice in his hand and rolled a six.
- The board game is missing one of the dice.
- In this casino game you throw two dice and add the numbers.
- She always carries her lucky dice in her pocket.
- The dealer checked that the dice were not loaded.
- She rolls the dice and moves her piece.
- I cannot play because we lost the dice.
- The dice show a three and a four.
- Please pass me the dice.
- He throws the dice on the table.
cut food into small cubes
To cut food into many small square pieces.
to dice [food]
- Dice the onions before you add them to the pan.
- The recipe says to dice two tomatoes and one green pepper.
- She quickly diced the carrots into small cubes.
- You can dice the chicken and mix it into the salad.
- The chef showed us how to safely dice vegetables.
- Please dice the tomato for the sandwich.
- He dices the onions on a cutting board.
- First, wash the potatoes, then dice them.
- She dices the carrot into small pieces.
- I can dice the vegetables while you cook the meat.
chance as deciding factor
Chance or luck that decides what will happen in a risky situation.
a roll of the dice
- Starting your own company is always a roll of the dice.
- Sometimes love feels like a roll of the dice.
- In politics, the dice are often loaded against smaller parties.
- For many low-paid workers, success is more about loaded dice than pure talent.
- He knew it was a roll of the dice, but he quit his job anyway.
- Moving to another country was a roll of the dice for her.
- Investing all your money in one stock is a roll of the dice.
- He feels the dice are loaded against poor people.
- Life can be a roll of the dice sometimes.
- They took a roll of the dice and opened a café.
gamble by throwing dice
To play games for money by throwing dice and betting on the numbers.
to dice for [money/prize]
- They used to dice for small change behind the bar.
- He lost half his pay dicing with his friends after work.
- A group of men were dicing in the corner of the casino.
- We’d dice for who had to buy the next round of drinks.
- The kids were quietly dicing with a pair of old plastic cubes.
- They like to dice for fun on Friday night.
- He does not dice for money anymore.
- Some people dice in the street near the shop.
- They dice to see who will pay for dinner.
- He often dices with his friends after work.
- Base: dice
- Plural: dice
- Base: dice
- 3rd Person Singular: dices
- Present Participle: dicing
- Past: diced
a roll of the dice
1a risky chance-based action
A decision or action where the result depends a lot on chance.
- Starting a business is always a roll of the dice.
- For many students, choosing a major feels like a roll of the dice.
- Investing all your savings in one company is a huge roll of the dice.
dice with death
1take a deadly serious risk
To do something very dangerous that could easily cause death.
- Cyclists who run red lights in heavy traffic are dicing with death.
- Climbing that mountain in winter is really dicing with death.
- Without safety equipment, they were dicing with death on that building site.
loaded dice
1unfairly fixed to favor someone
Dice that are changed so they do not give fair results, or a situation that is arranged so one side has an unfair advantage.
- The game was fixed; they were using loaded dice.
- In this competition, smaller companies feel like they're playing with loaded dice.
- He claimed the tax system is like loaded dice against the poor.
no dice
1no way; not possible
Used to say that something will not happen or did not succeed.
- I asked for a pay rise, but it was no dice.
- You can try to change his mind, but no dice—he's decided.
- We wanted tickets for the final, but no dice, it was sold out.
roll the dice
1take a risk and trust chance
To do something risky and let chance decide what happens.
- Sometimes you just have to roll the dice and see what happens.
- They rolled the dice on a new product, and it became a big success.
- Quitting his job to travel was him rolling the dice with his future.
shoot dice
1gamble by throwing dice
To play a game for money by throwing dice and betting on the numbers.
- They like to shoot dice behind the bar after closing time.
- He got in trouble for shooting dice in the school parking lot.
- A group of men were shooting dice on the corner.
the dice are loaded against someone
1situation unfairly against someone
Used to say that something is arranged in an unfair way so that a person or group will probably fail.
- For many single parents, the dice are loaded against them from the start.
- He felt the dice were loaded against him in the trial.
- In some exams, students from poor schools think the dice are loaded against them.