dice
gb/dˈaɪs/ us/dˈaɪs/
A2
Inglês
~ 8900
Aceções
0 aceções
Nome
A2
entity
1
small cube used in games
Small cubes with dots for numbers that you roll in games to get a random number.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] rolls the dice
Erro comum:
Learners often do not know that the strict singular form is 'die' and use 'a dice' instead. In modern spoken English, 'a dice' is common but many teachers still mark it as incorrect in writing. Also, some learners confuse 'dice' with 'dominoes' or other game pieces.
Sinónimos
die (The singular form; technically one object is a die, two or more are dice, though many speakers say 'a dice'.)
|
game piece (General term for any object used to play a game; not specific to cubes with spots.)
Antónimos
cards (A different common tool for games of chance and skill, contrasting with dice as gaming equipment.)
Colocações
roll the dice
|throw the dice
|cast the dice
|a pair of dice
|loaded dice
|dice game
Temas
games
|entertainment
|gambling
|arts_entertainment
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- 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.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- 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.
Verbo
B1
action
2
cut food into small cubes
To cut food into many small square pieces.
Padrão de uso:
to dice [food]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use 'cut' or 'chop' when a recipe specifically says 'dice', not realizing that 'dice' suggests small, even, cube-shaped pieces. Some also confuse 'slice' (flat pieces) with 'dice' (small cubes).
Sinónimos
cube (Very close in meaning in cooking; sometimes sounds a little more precise or technical.)
|
chop (More general; does not require neat square pieces and can mean larger, rougher cuts.)
Antónimos
leave whole (Means not cutting the food into pieces at all.)
Colocações
dice the onions
|diced tomatoes
|finely diced
|dice the vegetables
|small dice
|dice the potatoes
Temas
cooking
|daily life
|food
|food_drink
|daily_life
Exemplos
- 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.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- 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.
Nome
B2
entity
3
chance as deciding factor
Chance or luck that decides what will happen in a risky situation.
Padrão de uso:
a roll of the dice
Erro comum:
Learners may misunderstand expressions like 'a roll of the dice' and translate them word-for-word, missing the idea of risk and chance. Some also confuse 'the dice are loaded against you' with a positive meaning, when it actually means the situation is unfair or strongly against you.
Sinónimos
chance (General word for something not planned or controlled; lacks the game-related image of 'dice'.)
|
luck (Focuses more on good or bad fortune than on the idea of a risky decision.)
Antónimos
certainty (Emphasizes that the outcome is known or guaranteed, not left to chance.)
Colocações
a roll of the dice
|a dice roll
|the dice are loaded
|the dice fall
|life is a roll of the dice
Temas
abstract
|risk
|life
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- 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.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- 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.
Verbo
informal
C1
action
4
gamble by throwing dice
To play games for money by throwing dice and betting on the numbers.
Padrão de uso:
to dice for [money/prize]
Erro comum:
This verb use is much less common than the noun 'dice' and the cooking verb. Learners may try to use 'dice' for any kind of gambling; however, it is only natural for gambling that specifically uses dice.
Sinónimos
shoot dice (Very common informal phrase in American English for street-style gambling with dice.)
|
gamble (More general; does not specify using dice.)
Antónimos
stay out of the game (Describes refusing to take part in gambling.)
Colocações
dice for money
|dice for drinks
|dice in the alley
|dice all night
Temas
gambling
|games
|leisure
|arts_entertainment
Exemplos
- 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.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- 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.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
dice
IPA
GB/dˈaɪs/
US/dˈaɪs/
Sílabas e acento
dice (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (dice)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: dice
- Plural: dice
Verb
- Base: dice
- 3rd Person Singular: dices
- Present Participle: dicing
- Past: diced
Família de palavras
Forms
dices
verb
dicing
verb
diced
verb
Related words
dicer
noun
dicey
adjective
Expressões
a roll of the dice
1/ə ɹˈoʊl əv ðə dˈaɪs/
fixed phrase
a risky chance-based action
A decision or action where the result depends a lot on chance.
Exemplos
- 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
1/dˈaɪs wˈɪθ dˈɛθ/
idiom
take a deadly serious risk
To do something very dangerous that could easily cause death.
Exemplos
- 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
1/lˈoʊdɪd dˈaɪs/
idiom
unfairly 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.
Exemplos
- 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
1/nˈoʊ dˈaɪs/
idiom
informal
no way; not possible
Used to say that something will not happen or did not succeed.
Exemplos
- 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
1/ɹˈoʊl ðə dˈaɪs/
idiom
take a risk and trust chance
To do something risky and let chance decide what happens.
Exemplos
- 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
1/ʃˈut dˈaɪs/
fixed phrase
informal
gamble by throwing dice
To play a game for money by throwing dice and betting on the numbers.
Exemplos
- 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
1/ðə dˈaɪs ˈɑɹ lˈoʊdɪd əɡˈɛnst sˈʌmwˌʌn/
idiom
situation unfairly against someone
Used to say that something is arranged in an unfair way so that a person or group will probably fail.
Exemplos
- 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.