icebreaker
/ˈaɪsˌbɹeɪkəɹ/ noun
Forms icebreakers ice breaker ice-breaker
- noun (nautical) A ship designed to break through ice so that it, or other ships coming behind, can navigate on frozen seas. “The steel hulls of ice-breakers are much thicker than those of standard vessels.”
- noun (figurative) A game, activity, humorous anecdote, etc., designed to ease tension and encourage interaction among individuals in a situation where they do not know each other well. “The new college hallmates were awkward with each other at first, but after a game of charades as an icebreaker, they were laughing like old friends.”
- noun (theater) A lively song and dance routine at the start of a musical.
Synonyms
Etymology
From ice + breaker, in the figurative sense from the expression to break the ice.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “icebreaker”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details