Meaning & use
ice lolly
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A sweet frozen treat on a small stick, made from flavored water or juice, that you lick or bite.
Grammar: Countable: one ice lolly, several ice lollies; the plural changes -y to -ies.
Patterns
- an ice lolly
- eat an ice lolly
- a box of ice lollies
The children bought an ice lolly each at the corner shop.
She sucked her ice lolly slowly so it would not melt.
We keep a bag of ice lollies in the freezer for hot afternoons.
nouncountableBritish
A frozen fruit-juice bar of this kind, often sold as a healthier alternative to ice cream.
Grammar: Also countable; often used with fruit or juice in front to name the flavor.
Patterns
- a fruit ice lolly
- an orange ice lolly
He prefers a fruit ice lolly to a chocolate bar.
The stall sells orange and lemon ice lollies in summer.
Word forms
| plural | ice lollies |
|---|
Common combinations
- eat an ice lolly
- It was so hot that we ate an ice lolly on the way home.
- an ice lolly melts
- Leave it in the sun and the ice lolly melts in minutes.
- a box of ice lollies
- She put a box of ice lollies in the freezer for the party.
- lick an ice lolly
- He licked his ice lolly before it dripped on his shirt.
- an ice lolly stick
- The wooden ice lolly stick can be reused for a craft project.
Synonyms and how they differ
- popsicle
- The usual American word for the same treat; it is a brand name, so some people avoid it in formal writing.
- ice pop
- A neutral term used in American English and in food packaging; it sounds slightly more formal than ice lolly.
- frozen popsicle
- A fuller American phrase that makes clear the item is frozen; it is not used in British English.
Word family
Commonly confused: ice lolly or ice cream? ice lolly or lolly?
ice lolly vs ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dairy dessert eaten with a spoon or in a cone, while an ice lolly is a frozen water or juice treat on a stick.
ice lolly vs lolly
In British English a lolly is usually a lollipop or slang for money, so it does not mean the frozen treat unless you say ice lolly.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'ice lolly' correctly?
Choose one answer.
An ice lolly is a cold sweet treat on a stick, so it fits cooling down in hot weather. The soup option confuses it with a food served hot, the fork option ignores that it is eaten from a stick, and warming hands is the opposite of its purpose.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ice lolly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.