dices
dices — noun
- dicessingular
- dicesesplural
1. small marked cubes that players throw to produce numbers in games of chance
small marked cubes that players throw to produce numbers in games of chance
The museum label called the carved bone dices a Roman travel set.
rare plural in catalog or museum context
Nadia logged the brass dices from the auction set into the archive.
archive context: log the dices from a set
At the craft fair, children painted wooden dices for a history display.
The old travel set paired two ivory dices with a folding leather cup.
- dice
the usual modern plural in everyday English
- gaming cubes
describes the function, but sounds more technical
- marked cubes
focuses on the shape and spots, not the game itself
文法句型
roll the dices
keep the dices in a cup
用法筆記
Modern everyday English usually prefers dice as the plural. Dices appears when a speaker or writer uses a fully regular plural form explicitly.
常見錯誤
2. a game of chance in which people throw marked cubes to win money or points
a game of chance in which people throw marked cubes to win money or points
After dinner, the uncles played dice until the oil lamps burned low.
pattern: play dice
The sailors learned a fast street dice game in the port.
collocation: dice game
By midnight, half the crowd had drifted over to the dice table to bet.
Festival music stopped while two finalists played the last round of dice.
文法句型
play dice
a round of dice
用法筆記
Often appears in talk about gambling, fairs, or informal street play. The countable pattern a round of dice names one session within the wider game.
3. small cube-shaped pieces of food or another substance
small cube-shaped pieces of food or another substance
The salad was topped with tiny dices of mango and cucumber.
pattern: dices of + food
Chef Rina fried bacon dices until the edges turned dark brown.
cooking collocation: bacon dices
The soup held soft potato dices that broke apart on the spoon.
For the party snacks, Mei arranged cheese dices around the warm olives.
文法句型
dices of + food
arrange the dices on a plate
用法筆記
Common in menus, recipes, and kitchen descriptions where the speaker wants to stress that the pieces are neat and cube-shaped.
dices — verb
- dicespresent simple I / you / we / they
- diceses3rd person singular
- dicesing-ing form
- dicesedpast simple
1. cuts food into neat small cubes, usually before cooking or serving it
cuts food into neat small cubes, usually before cooking or serving it
Before the soup simmers, Eli dices the carrots and celery for stock.
recipe pattern: dice the carrots and celery
The video shows how Hoa dices the mango for sticky rice.
food-prep pattern: dice the mango
Kabir dices the potatoes into small cubes for the breakfast hash.
At the stall, Christopher dices fresh tuna just before the lunch rush.
文法句型
dice + food item
dice + food item + into small cubes
用法筆記
The object is usually food such as onions, potatoes, fruit, meat, or cheese. Recipes often add an adverb like finely to control size.
常見錯誤
2. does something extremely risky and foolish, as if making a bet against death its
does something extremely risky and foolish, as if making a bet against death itself
The cyclist dices with death every morning by racing through red lights.
fixed pattern: dice with death
Leo dices with death whenever he climbs alone after heavy snow.
figurative warning about reckless action
A drunk driver dices with death on that narrow mountain road.
The teenager dices with death each time he dives there after storms.
- tempt fate
similar idea of inviting bad results through risky behavior
- court disaster
more formal and focuses on the bad outcome
- gamble with your life
more direct and less idiomatic
- play safe
means choosing the careful and lower-risk option
文法句型
dice with death
dice with danger
用法筆記
Most often appears in the fixed phrase dice with death. Journalistic writing may extend it to danger or disaster, but the meaning stays strongly negative.
3. plays a game in which marked cubes are thrown for money or points
plays a game in which marked cubes are thrown for money or points
On Friday nights, Bilal dices with his cousins after the market closes.
pattern: dice with + person
The soldier dices in the barracks to pass a long rainy evening.
intransitive use: dice in the barracks
Joon dices for small coins outside the tea shop after work.
During the festival, Andrew dices with travelers near the river gate.
- gamble
broader, because you can gamble without using dice
- shoot dice
informal and especially common in American English
- play
too general unless the game is clear from context
文法句型
dice with + person
dice for + money
用法筆記
This is an older or more literary verb use. It often takes with to name the other players or for to name the money at stake.