ace

1 of 7

noun (1)

ˈās 

1

a

: a die face marked with one spot

b

: a playing card marked in its center with one pip

c

: a domino end marked with one spot

2

: a very small amount or degree : particle

3

: a point scored especially on a service (as in tennis or handball) that an opponent fails to touch

4

: a golf score of one stroke on a hole

also : a hole made in one stroke

5

: a combat pilot who has brought down at least five enemy airplanes

6

a

: a person who excels at something

a computer ace

b

: the best pitcher on a baseball team

the ace of the staff

ace

2 of 7

verb

aced; acing

transitive verb

1

: to score an ace against (an opponent)

2

: to make (a hole in golf) in one stroke

3

: to gain a decisive advantage over : defeat

—usually used with out

4

a

: to earn a high grade on (something, such as an examination)

especially : to get an A on

b

: to perform extremely well in

he aced every subject

ace

3 of 7

adjective (1)

: of first or high rank or quality

an ace mechanic

ace

4 of 7

noun (2)

plural aces

: an asexual person (see asexual sense 3b)

Like many other aces and aros, I grew up thinking I was broken. I was 19 before I heard the words "asexual" or "aromantic," before I found out that there were other people in the world like me.

—Mikayla Micomonaco

ace

5 of 7

adjective (2)

: asexual

But ace individuals often still feel romantic attraction toward others, as well as a drive to cultivate intimate, loving relationships—just without an intrinsic interest in pursuing the sexual aspect.

—Taryn Deoilers

Ace

6 of 7

trademark

—used for a bandage with elastic properties

ACE

7 of 7

abbreviation

1

American Council on Education

2

ˌā-(ˌ)sē-ˈē 

ˈās-

angiotensin converting enzyme

The ACE inhibitors are designer molecules developed specifically to attach to their target enzyme and prevent it from activating angiotensin. Virtually the only thing these drugs do in the body is to interact with ACE. However, ACE is not a very specific enzyme; it acts on hormones besides angiotensin.

—Harvard Medical Health Letter

Phrases

ace in the hole

1

: an ace dealt face down to a player (as in stud poker) and not exposed until the showdown

2

: an effective and decisive argument or resource held in reserve

within an ace of

: on the point of : very near to

came within an ace of winning

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• adept
• artist
• authority
• cognoscente
• connoisseur
• crackerjack
• crackajack
• dab [chiefly British]
• dab hand [chiefly British]
• expert
• fiend
• geek
• guru
• hand
• hotshot
• maestro
• master
• maven
• mavin
• meister
• past master
• proficient
• scholar
• shark
• sharp
• virtuoso
• whiz
• wizard

Adjective (1)

• accomplished
• adept
• compleat
• complete
• consummate
• crack
• crackerjack
• educated
• experienced
• expert
• good
• great
• master
• masterful
• masterly
• practiced
• practised
• professed
• proficient
• skilled
• skillful
• versed
• veteran
• virtuoso

Examples of ace in a Sentence

Noun (1)

She won the match by scoring more than 30 aces.

took a few lessons with a tennis ace to improve his backhand

Verb

She aced her entrance exams.

He aced his annual physical.

He aced his opponent on the last point of the match.

Adjective (1)

an ace computer programmer

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Boston Red Sox finally landed their dream ace in a blockbuster deal to acquire Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024

For more than 40 years, Hezbollah had been Tehran’s ace in the hole. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024

Verb

Learn how to earn passive income online, master your money, ace your job interview and salary negotiations, and become an effective communicator. —Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2024

Amazon Basics 3-piece Luggage Set $165 $132 at Amazon This set is a budget-friendly option that aced our tests. —Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2024

Adjective

Joining him were a band of equally ace musicians with Windy City roots, including guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, bassist Junius Paul, keyboardist Andrew Toombs, and drummer Brandon Collins. —Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2023

And that number doesn’t include C.J. Goodwin who is a special teams ace, but plays corner in a pinch. —David Moore, Dallas News, 5 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English as, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin ass-, ās "copper money piece (at first a pound, but progressively reduced to a half-ounce), pound unit of weight, unit," of uncertain origin

Note: The word ās has been compared within Latin to asser "wooden beam, pole, post" (generalized from a plural asserēs, from a singular *assis?) and assis, axis (by hypercorrection?) "plank, board," though any relationship is far from certain. A loanword from Etruscan?

Verb

derivative of ace entry 1

Adjective (1)

derivative of ace entry 1

Noun (2)

short for asexual, with spelling copying ace entry 1

Adjective (2)

from attributive use of ace entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (1)

1926, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

2008, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

2009, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ace

• ace boon coon
• an ace up one's sleeve

Kids Definition

ace

1 of 3 noun

ˈās 

1

: a playing card with one large figure in its center

2

: a very small amount or degree

within an ace of winning

3

: a point scored on a serve (as in tennis) that an opponent fails to touch

4

: a golf hole made in one stroke

5

a

: a combat pilot who has shot down at least five enemy airplanes

b

: a person who is expert at something

ace

2 of 3 verb

aced; acing

1

: to score an ace against

the tennis player aced her opponent

2

: to earn the grade of A on (an examination)

ace

3 of 3 adjective

: of first or high rank or quality

Medical Definition

Ace

1 of 2 trademark

ˈās 

—used for a bandage with elastic properties

ACE

2 of 2 abbreviation

angiotensin converting enzyme