icebreaker

/ˌaɪsˈbreɪkər/

/ˈaɪsbreɪkə/

Other forms: icebreakers

An icebreaker can be an exercise or game that's meant to introduce people to each other in a fun, relaxed way. You know the first day of school, when you are asked to share your favorite stuffed animal — that's an icebreaker.

If you invite party guests who've never met, you might play a game or tell some jokes as an icebreaker. A more formal icebreaker could involve games or songs that help people remember each other's names, for example. In this metaphor, the "ice" is the tension caused by being in an unfamiliar situation or meeting new people. The original icebreaker was literally that: a ship designed to break through ice in frozen channels at sea.

Definitions of icebreaker

1. noun

   a beginning that relaxes a tense or formal atmosphere
   “he told jokes as an icebreaker”

   type of:

   beginning, commencement, start

   the act of starting something
2. noun

   a ship with a reinforced bow to break up ice and keep channels open for navigation
   synonyms: iceboat

   type of:

   ship

   a vessel that carries passengers or freight