How to Use icebreaker in a Sentence

icebreaker

noun
  • One tried to use it as an icebreaker.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
  • While pets are not props, your pooch can be a cute icebreaker.
    — Mark A. Stein, Star Tribune, 12 June 2021
  • Sylvester asked by way of the evening’s first icebreaker.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
  • These are great kick-off points, like icebreakers.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The icebreaker rides on top of the ice and then the weight of the ship breaks it.
    — Jane Morice, cleveland.com, 19 July 2017
  • In the best case, the first new icebreaker will float out of dry dock six years from now.
    — Justin Gillis, Jonathan Corum, Alaska Dispatch News, 18 July 2017
  • And yes, he's even used the prop handcuffs as an icebreaker.
    — Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Photographs of the icebreaker show a huge chunk torn out of its bow hull area.
    — Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
  • China has churned out new ships in just two years and is now working on a fourth icebreaker.
    — Jill Goldenziel, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
  • The two nations are bulking up ships known as icebreakers, which can tear apart ice.
    — Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, 5 Feb. 2020
  • The hosts handed out icebreaker cards, but they weren't needed.
    — Colby Holiday, Travel + Leisure, 24 Dec. 2024
  • It can be made ahead, batched to serve a crowd, and is a fine icebreaker if your gathering is in need of one.
    — Jessica Battilana, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Nov. 2021
  • Any good icebreakers or words of wisdom to quell the anxiety?
    — Marissa A. Ross, Bon Appetit, 29 May 2018
  • The Healy is a medium icebreaker that is able to break ice up to 10-feet thick.
    — Author: Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2021
  • From luxury icebreakers to yachts with pool decks, these ships—and sailings—are on our list.
    — Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 6 Nov. 2025
  • That moment took place early in the shoot, so was that quite the icebreaker for everybody?
    — Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2025
  • But Straneo was confident that the old icebreaker was up to the task.
    — Paul Voosen, Science Magazine, 10 Oct. 2019
  • The icebreaker was in the planning stages for three years and now will take an additional three years to build.
    — Rosemary McClure, latimes.com, 26 Mar. 2018
  • How would that be for an icebreaker between Lanning and Duck fans?
    — Bill Oram, oregonlive, 30 Aug. 2022
  • Set on an icebreaker and sprayed with a hose for 72 hours, Casto’s pot more than tripled its weight.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2022
  • But efforts to drag the barge to the site via helicopter failed, with the icebreaker getting stuck in ice and mud.
    — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Weather used to be the obvious icebreaker, the safest of low-hanging fruit.
    — Roxanne Roberts, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022
  • Sarah Havens, a Louisville milliner, says swing dancing can be a real icebreaker.
    — Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 9 Feb. 2018
  • The Coast Guard also plans to build three medium icebreakers.
    — Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times, 17 June 2019
  • All in all, icebreakers weren’t needed as Cannes Lions kicked off.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026
  • But after the myth-busting and icebreakers, something changes.
    — Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
  • If the vibe feels off, suggest a game or even an icebreaker to reset the group’s social energy.
    — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The fast pace and life-or-death nature of the ER means there’s not much time for icebreakers for the new faces on staff.
    — Sarah Kurchak, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Pair icebreaker base layers with one of the brand’s sleek mid layers and add a beanie and socks for warmth that doesn’t sacrifice style.
    — AFAR Media, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Today Russia has 41 icebreakers with at least 8 more on the way.
    — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 4 Apr. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'icebreaker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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