Illustration of rice
: the starchy seeds of an annual southeast Asian cereal grass (Oryza sativa) that are cooked and used for food
also
: this cereal grass that is widely cultivated in warm climates for its seeds and by-products compare wild rice
riced; ricing; rices
: to finely chop or process (a food) so that it resembles rice
riced cauliflower
Grilled calamari is served over riced potatoes that melt in the mouth—
Mitch Frank
Mitch FrankRicing the spuds with the butter and cream, rather than mashing them, makes them light and airy, and gives you a completely different experience.—Yotam Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi
rest, ice, compression, elevation
Examples of rice in a Sentence
Noun
Rice is the main crop of the country.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 July 2025
There’s also Boa Vista Terrace, a relaxed all-day restaurant on a garden terrace offering Atlantic flavors, like cod confit and mussels with cockle rice.
—Caroline Tell, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 7 Aug. 2024
Not only can cauliflower be riced, steaked, winged, and of course roasted, steamed, and souped, this cauliflower recipe is evidence that it can be wrapped in a taco too.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rice
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Noun
Use Rice Or Flour: The same method of concentrating ethylene gas to ripen fruits more quickly can be used in another way as well—burying fruit in uncooked rice or flour.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 July 2025
There’s also Boa Vista Terrace, a relaxed all-day restaurant on a garden terrace offering Atlantic flavors, like cod confit and mussels with cockle rice.
—Caroline Tell, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
Alternate names for the August full moon include flying up moon to the Cree, harvest moon to the Dakota, ricing moon to the Anishinaabe, the mountain shadows moon to the Tlingit, and the black cherries moon to the Assiniboine.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 7 Aug. 2024
Not only can cauliflower be riced, steaked, winged, and of course roasted, steamed, and souped, this cauliflower recipe is evidence that it can be wrapped in a taco too.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rice
Cite this Entry
“Rice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rice. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rice
noun1
: a southeast Asian grass widely grown in warm wet areas especially for its seeds which are used for food
2
: the seeds of rice
Biographical Definition
Rice
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Elmer Leopold 1892–1967 originally Elmer Reizenstein American dramatist
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