ace

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Ace

(ās)

A trademark for an elastic bandage.

ace

(ās)

a. A single spot or pip on a playing card, die, or domino.

b. A playing card, die, or domino having one spot or pip.

2. In racket games:

a. A serve that one's opponent fails to hit.

b. A point scored by such a serve.

3. The act of hitting a golf ball in the hole with one's first shot.

4. A military aircraft pilot who has destroyed five or more enemy aircraft.

5. An expert in a given field.

adj.

Top-notch; first-rate.

tr.v. aced, ac·ing, ac·es

1. To serve an ace against in racket games.

2. To hit an ace on (a hole) in golf.

3. Slang To get the better of (someone): a candidate who aced his opponents in the primaries.

4. Slang

a. To receive a grade of A on: She aced the exam.

b. To perform with distinction on: aced the interview.

Idioms:

ace in the hole/up one's sleeve

A hidden advantage or resource kept in reserve until needed.

within an ace of

On the verge of; very near to: came within an ace of losing the election.

[Middle English as, from Old French, from Latin, unit.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ace

(eɪs)

1. (General Sporting Terms) any die, domino, or any of four playing cards with one spot

2. (General Sporting Terms) a single spot or pip on a playing card, die, etc

3. (Tennis) tennis a winning serve that the opponent fails to reach

4. (Golf) golf chiefly US a hole in one

5. (Military) a fighter pilot accredited with destroying several enemy aircraft

6. informal an expert or highly skilled person: an ace at driving.

7. an ace up one's sleeve an ace in the hole a hidden and powerful advantage

8. hold all the aces to have all the advantages or power

9. play one's ace to use one's best weapon or resource

10. within an ace of almost to the point of: he came within an ace of winning.

adj

informal superb; excellent

vb (tr)

11. (Tennis) tennis to serve an ace against

12. (Golf) golf chiefly US to play (a hole) in one stroke

13. US and Canadian to perform extremely well or score very highly in (an examination, etc)

[C13: via Old French from Latin as a unit, perhaps from a Greek variant of heis one]

ACE

(eɪs)

n acronym for

1. (Education) (in Britain) Advisory Centre for Education; a private organization offering advice on schools to parents

2. (Military) Allied Command Europe

3. (Biochemistry) angiotensin-converting enzyme

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ace

(eɪs)

n., v. aced, ac•ing,
adj. n.

1. a playing card or a die face bearing a single pip or spot.

2. Also called service ace. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) a point made on a serve that an opponent fails to touch.

3. a fighter pilot who downs a specified number of enemy aircraft in combat.

4. a very skilled person; expert; adept.

a. Also called hole in one. a shot in which a golf ball is driven from the tee into the hole in one stroke.

b. a score of one stroke made on such a shot.

v.t.

6. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) to win a point against (one's opponent) by an ace.

7. to make an ace on (a hole) in golf.

8. Slang. to defeat, supplant, or gain an advantage over by maneuvering (usu. fol. by out).

9. Slang.

a. to receive a grade of A in or on: to ace a test.

b. to complete with great success.

adj.

10. excellent; first-rate; outstanding.

Idioms:

1. ace in the hole,

a. an ace in poker dealt and played facedown.

b. Also, ace up one's sleeve. an advantage held in reserve.

2. within an ace of, very close to: within an ace of winning.

[1250–1300; Middle English as, aas < Old French as < Latin: a unit; compare as²]

ACE

1. American Council on Education.

2. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ace

a small quantity—Johnson, 1755.

ace

Past participle: aced
Gerund: acing

Imperative
ace
ace

Present
I ace
you ace
he/she/it aces
we ace
you ace
they ace

Preterite
I aced
you aced
he/she/it aced
we aced
you aced
they aced

Present Continuous
I am acing
you are acing
he/she/it is acing
we are acing
you are acing
they are acing

Present Perfect
I have aced
you have aced
he/she/it has aced
we have aced
you have aced
they have aced

Past Continuous
I was acing
you were acing
he/she/it was acing
we were acing
you were acing
they were acing

Past Perfect
I had aced
you had aced
he/she/it had aced
we had aced
you had aced
they had aced

Future
I will ace
you will ace
he/she/it will ace
we will ace
you will ace
they will ace

Future Perfect
I will have aced
you will have aced
he/she/it will have aced
we will have aced
you will have aced
they will have aced

Future Continuous
I will be acing
you will be acing
he/she/it will be acing
we will be acing
you will be acing
they will be acing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been acing
you have been acing
he/she/it has been acing
we have been acing
you have been acing
they have been acing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been acing
you will have been acing
he/she/it will have been acing
we will have been acing
you will have been acing
they will have been acing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been acing
you had been acing
he/she/it had been acing
we had been acing
you had been acing
they had been acing

Conditional
I would ace
you would ace
he/she/it would ace
we would ace
you would ace
they would ace

Past Conditional
I would have aced
you would have aced
he/she/it would have aced
we would have aced
you would have aced
they would have aced

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ace

A service winner that the receiver is unable to touch.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	ace - the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number; "he has the one but will need a two and three to go with it"; "they had lunch at one" 1, one, single, unity, I digit, figure - one of the elements that collectively form a system of numeration; "0 and 1 are digits" monas, monad - a singular metaphysical entity from which material properties are said to derive singleton - a single object (as distinguished from a pair)
	2.	ace - one of four playing cards in a deck having a single pip on its face ace of clubs - the ace in the club suit ace of diamonds - the ace in the diamond suit ace of hearts - the ace in the heart suit ace of spades - the ace in the spade suit; sometimes taken as a portent of death playing card - one of a pack of cards that are used to play card games
	3.	ace - someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field hotshot, maven, mavin, superstar, virtuoso, whiz, whizz, wiz, wizard, adept, sensation, star, genius, champion expert - a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully track star - a star runner
	4.	ACE - proteolytic enzyme that converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II angiotensin converting enzyme, angiotensin-converting enzyme peptidase, protease, proteinase, proteolytic enzyme - any enzyme that catalyzes the splitting of proteins into smaller peptide fractions and amino acids by a process known as proteolysis
	5.	ACE - a major strategic headquarters of NATO; safeguards an area extending from Norway to Turkey Allied Command Europe NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization - an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander Europe - commanding officer of ACE; NATO's senior military commander in Europe headquarters - (plural) a military unit consisting of a commander and the headquarters staff
	6.	ace - a serve that the receiver is unable to reach serve, service - (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play; "his powerful serves won the game"
Verb	1.	ace - succeed at easily; "She sailed through her exams"; "You will pass with flying colors"; "She nailed her astrophysics course" breeze through, pass with flying colors, sail through, sweep through, nail make it, pass - go successfully through a test or a selection process; "She passed the new Jersey Bar Exam and can practice law now"
	2.	ace - score an ace against; "He aced his opponents" rack up, score, tally, hit - gain points in a game; "The home team scored many times"; "He hit a home run"; "He hit .300 in the past season"
	3.	ace - play (a hole) in one stroke golf, golf game - a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes play - participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"
	4.	ace - serve an ace against (someone) lawn tennis, tennis - a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court serve - put the ball into play; "It was Agassi's turn to serve"
Adj.	1.	ace - of the highest quality; "an ace reporter"; "a crack shot"; "a first-rate golfer"; "a super party"; "played top-notch tennis"; "an athlete in tiptop condition"; "she is absolutely tops" A-one, crack, first-rate, super, tiptop, topnotch, top-notch, tops colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech superior - of high or superior quality or performance; "superior wisdom derived from experience"; "superior math students"

ace

noun

1. (Cards, dice, etc.) one, single point the ace of hearts

2. (Informal) expert, star, champion, authority, winner, professional, master, pro (informal), specialist, genius, guru, buff (informal), wizard (informal), whizz (informal), virtuoso, connoisseur, boffin (Brit. informal), hotshot (informal), past master, dab hand (Brit. informal), maven (U.S.) former motor-racing ace Stirling Moss

adjective

1. (Informal) great, good, brilliant, mean (slang), fine, champion, expert, masterly, wonderful, excellent, cracking (Brit. informal), outstanding, superb, fantastic (informal), tremendous (informal), marvellous (informal), terrific (informal), mega (slang), awesome (slang), dope (slang), admirable, virtuoso, first-rate, brill (informal), the dog's bollocks (taboo slang), bitchin', chillin' (U.S. slang) It's been a while since I've seen a really ace film.

ace in the hole advantage, benefit, edge, asset, blessing, superiority, boon, upper hand, pre-eminence, ace up your sleeve Our superior technology is our ace in the hole.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

ace

noun

A person with a high degree of knowledge or skill in a particular field:

adept, authority, dab hand, expert, master, past master, professional, proficient, wizard.

Informal: whiz.

Slang: crackerjack.

Chiefly British: dab.

adjective

Exceptionally good of its kind:

banner, blue-ribbon, brag, capital, champion, excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, prime, quality, splendid, superb, superior, terrific, tiptop, top.

Informal: A-one, bully, dandy, great, swell, topflight, topnotch.

Slang: boss.

Chiefly British: tophole.

verb

Slang. To win a victory over, as in battle or a competition:

beat, best, conquer, defeat, master, overcome, prevail against (or over), rout, subdue, subjugate, surmount, triumph over, vanquish, worst.

Informal: trim, whip.

Slang: lick.

Idioms: carry the day, get the best of, get the better of, go someone one better.

Translations

Spanish / Español

Select a language:

as ace

ace

[eɪs]

A. N

1. (Cards) → as m
to be within an ace of → estar a punto or a dos dedos de
to keep an ace up one's sleeve; have an ace in the hole (US) → guardar un triunfo en la mano, guardarse un as en la manga
to play one's ace → jugar su triunfo
to hold all the aces → tener la sartén por el mango

2. (Tennis) → ace m

3. (= pilot, racing driver etc) → as m
he's aces (US) → es fenomenal

B. ADJ → estupendo, de aúpa
ace player → as m

C. CPD Ace bandage® N (US) → venda f elástica

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ace

(eis) noun

1. the one in playing-cards. the ace of spades.as

2. a person who is expert at anything. He's an ace with a rifle.as

3. a serve in tennis in which the ball is not touched by the opposing player. ace

4. the ``one'' on dominoes or dice. as

ace

→ as

References in classic literature ?

I called him Ace. I had a friend who was once in the French flying-corps, and when Ace let himself out, he certainly flew.

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Daylight showed four queens and an ace; MacDonald four jacks and an ace; and Kearns four kings and a trey.

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Once a great noisy bee was within an ace of waking her, but I caught him with inspired dexterity, and he buzzed around her head no more.

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Lorry, "I may appeal to a gentleman of your years and benevolence, to put it to this other gentleman, so much your junior, whether he can under any circumstances reconcile it to his station to play that Ace of which he has spoken.

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May thy name be abhorred For thy conduct to ladies, From London to England, From Seville to Cadiz; May thy cards be unlucky, Thy hands contain ne'er a King, seven, or ace When thou playest primera; When thy corns are cut May it be to the quick; When thy grinders are drawn May the roots of them stick.

View in context

The stranger reeled and came within an ace of falling, but regained his footing right quickly.

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The oblong white ceiling, with this scarlet blot in the midst, had the appearance of a gigantic ace of hearts.

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An act or event out of the order of nature and unaccountable, as beating a normal hand of four kings and an ace with four aces and a king.

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Elizabeth had the feeling that she had played her ace of trumps and by some miracle lost the trick.

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It was Sir Madok de la Montaine, a burly great fellow whose chief distinc- tion was that he had come within an ace of sending Sir Launcelot down over his horse-tail once.

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Pride, wounded honour, pity and respect tussled together daily in his heart; and now he was within an ace of throwing himself upon his father's mercy, and now of slipping forth at night and coming back no more to Naseby House.

View in context

'Is hair was towsled and his face--what I could see of it--was whiter than the ace of lilies.