Ace

/eɪs/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang

adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A playing card showing a single pip, typically the highest or lowest ranking card in a game.
  • Grammar: ace is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: 1, a per se, a-one, ace student.
  • Useful contrasts: bad job, bomb, bumble.
  • Usage evidence: The relief pitcher was no substitute for the ace.

How to use "ace"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ace" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ace" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ace" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ace" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "ace" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "1" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "ace", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A playing card showing a single pip, typically the highest or lowest ranking card in a game.

    "You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The deuce reminds me that the bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the trey I think of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost."

  2. 2
    A person who is asexual. slang

    "Asexuals are programmed differently, like anybody else on the LGBTQXYZ spectrum, but difference is cool! Difference is perhaps the best part of being queer. Own it, aces!"

  3. 3
    A member of American Cinema Editors countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    a serve that the receiver is unable to reach wordnet
  5. 5
    A die face marked with a single dot, typically representing the number one.
Show 27 more definitions
  1. 6
    Initialism of angiotensin converting enzyme. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  2. 7
    one of four playing cards in a deck having a single pip on its face wordnet
  3. 8
    The ball marked with the number 1 in pool and related games.

    "Ace in the corner."

  4. 9
    Initialism of air combat element. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  5. 10
    a major strategic headquarters of NATO; safeguards an area extending from Norway to Turkey wordnet
  6. 11
    A dollar bill. US, slang

    "[…] maybe two or three twenties, a dozen tens, and twenty or thirty fins. The rest is all aces and silver."

  7. 12
    Initialism of aviation combat element. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  8. 13
    someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field wordnet
  9. 14
    A very small quantity or degree; a particle; an atom; a jot.

    "He will not bate an ace of absolute certainty."

  10. 15
    Initialism of analysis and control element. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  11. 16
    the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number wordnet
  12. 17
    A serve won without the opponent hitting the ball.
  13. 18
    Initialism of arbitrary code execution. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  14. 19
    proteolytic enzyme that converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II wordnet
  15. 20
    A point won by a single stroke, as in handball, rackets, etc.
  16. 21
    Initialism of access control entry. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  17. 22
    The best pitcher on the team. US
  18. 23
    Initialism of ASCII-compatible encoding. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable

    "Because the DNS requires that a domain name be in an ACE format, IDNA proposes that client applications, such as a web browser, manage the character conversion internally."

  19. 24
    A run. US, dated, obsolete
  20. 25
    Initialism of adverse childhood experience. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  21. 26
    A hole in one. US

    ""Most of the aces weren't on holes I would have liked to have made them on," confessed Colk, who dropped his fifth dodo of 1935 on December 29, which was believed at the time to be a record for most aces in a year."

  22. 27
    Initialism of accumulated cyclone energy. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  23. 28
    An expert at something; a maverick, genius; a person of supreme talent. attributive, sometimes

    "an ace detective"

  24. 29
    A military aircraft pilot who is credited with shooting down many enemy aircraft, typically five or more.
  25. 30
    A perfect score on a school exam. US
  26. 31
    Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
  27. 32
    A quark. obsolete
Verb
  1. 1
    To pass (a test, interviews etc.) perfectly. US, informal, transitive
  2. 2
    serve an ace against (someone) wordnet
  3. 3
    To defeat (others) in a contest; to outdo (others) in a competition. US, ambitransitive, informal
  4. 4
    play (a hole) in one stroke wordnet
  5. 5
    To win a point against (an opponent) by an ace. ambitransitive
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    score an ace against wordnet
  2. 7
    To make an ace (hole in one).
  3. 8
    succeed at easily wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Excellent. UK, slang
  2. 2
    Asexual, not experiencing sexual attraction. slang

    ""Some people who identify as ace fall under the GLBT umbrella while many others do not. Members of the queer movement have reached out to asexuals to include them in their community. The acronym for this has now become GLBTQA (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and asexual).""

Adjective
  1. 1
    of the highest quality wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A male given name.
  2. 2
    Initialism of American Council on Education. US, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  3. 3
    A common nickname suggesting skill, particularly among airplane pilots.
  4. 4
    Initialism of Advanced Composition Explorer, a NASA spacecraft. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  5. 5
    Initialism of American Cinema Editors. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    Initialism of Attempto Controlled English. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
  2. 7
    A proprietary data compression archive file format.

Synonyms

All synonyms
1a per sea-oneace studentachieveacing

Antonyms

bad jobbombbumbledeuce

Example

"The relief pitcher was no substitute for the ace."

Common questions

What does "ace" mean?

A playing card showing a single pip, typically the highest or lowest ranking card in a game.

What is a synonym for "ace"?

Common synonyms include: 1, a per se, a-one, ace student, achieve, acing.

How do you use "ace" in a sentence?

The relief pitcher was no substitute for the ace.

How do you pronounce "ace"?

Pronounced /eɪs/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English as, from Old French as, from Latin as, assis (“unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage”), probably borrowed from Etruscan. Doublet of as. Likely related or deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs, or otherwise taking from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”) in the sense of "singular".

Etymology 2

Clipping of asexual.

More for "ace"

Synonyms

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