Definition

Verb: * To become covered with a layer of ice. This describes the process where a liquid (like water) on a surface freezes, forming a solid, smooth coating of ice.

Usage

This verb is intransitive, meaning it does not take a direct object. The surface itself is the subject that undergoes the change. It is often used to describe roads, sidewalks, windows, wings of aircraft, or bodies of water during cold weather.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The lake will ice over completely if the temperature stays below freezing.
  • Be careful driving tonight; the roads might ice over.
  • The car's windshield had iced over during the night.

Advanced Usage

• "to ice up": This is a very close synonym and can often be used interchangeably with "ice over," especially for mechanical parts or enclosed spaces.
  • The old pipes are prone to icing up in the winter.

Variants and Related Words

• Freeze over (verb phrase): A common synonym with the same meaning.
  • The pond freezes over every January.
• Iced-over (adjective): Used to describe the state of being covered in ice.
  • We skated on the iced-over canal.

Synonyms

• Freeze: To become hardened into ice. (More general)
• Glaze: To cover with a thin, glassy coating of ice. (Often used for "freezing rain" conditions)

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Ice up: To become blocked or coated with ice. This often implies a functional problem.
  • The aircraft's engine inlet iced up, causing a loss of power.

Verb

1. become covered with a layer of ice; of a surface such as a window
   • When the wings iced up, the pilot was forced to land his plane