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Definition of dice noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dice

noun
 
/daɪs/
 
/daɪs/
(plural dice)
Idioms
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  1. (also die especially in North American English)
    [countable] a small cube of wood, plastic, etc., with a different number of spots on each of its sides, used in games of chance
    • a pair of dice
    • to roll/throw/shake the dice
    • You decide who’s going to start by throwing the dice.
    • You move forward according to the number on the dice.
    • (figurative) It was a last desperate throw of the dice to save his marriage.
    Topics Games and toysc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • loaded
    verb + dice
    • play
    • roll
    • throw
    dice + noun
    • game
    preposition
    • on a/​the dice
    phrases
    • a/​the roll of the dice
    • a/​the throw of the dice
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] a game played with dice
    • We played dice all night.
  3. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French des, plural of de, from Latin datum ‘something given or played’, neuter past participle of dare.
Idioms
load the dice (against/in favour of somebody)
  1. to put somebody at an unfair disadvantage/advantage
    • He has always felt that the dice were loaded against him in life.
    • This is another attempt to load the dice in favour of employers.
no dice
  1. (especially North American English, informal) used to show that you refuse to do something, or that something cannot be done
    • He wanted $400 for it, so no dice.
See dice in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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