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
Sana Noor Haq,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
Serve pinto beans with cilantro lime rice for a delicious and filling meal, recommends Elick.
—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
5 July 2026
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
29 May 2026
Six Ojibwe nations are located in Wisconsin and tribal members still practice ricing every year.
—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rice
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Rats are burrowing into aid parcels, forcing people to throw away scarce rice or flour supplies.
—
Sana Noor Haq,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
Serve pinto beans with cilantro lime rice for a delicious and filling meal, recommends Elick.
—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
5 July 2026
Verb
Like the grocer's popular Hearts of Palm Pasta, this rice alternative is made with just hearts of palm that's been riced, of course.
—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
29 May 2026
Six Ojibwe nations are located in Wisconsin and tribal members still practice ricing every year.
—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rice
Cite this Entry
“Rice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rice. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
