What does popsicle mean?
A popsicle is a piece of flavored or fruit-flavored ice served on a small stick. It is a chilled snack especially associated with warm weather, childhood, and convenience stores or ice-cream vendors. The name is most common in North America, while British English generally uses “ice lolly” for the same basic item. Although the term began as a trademark, it became so widespread that it is now treated as an ordinary word for this type of frozen treat. A popsicle is distinguished from ordinary ice cream primarily by being made primarily from water, fruit juice, or flavored liquid rather than from a dairy-based mixture, though terminology and recipes vary. The word is also occasionally used for novelty products shaped or decorated to resemble familiar objects.
nounA molded piece of frozen ice, typically sweet or fruit-flavored, attached to a small stick and eaten as a snack.
- A molded, usually flavored piece of frozen ice on a stick.
"She bought a strawberry popsicle from the corner shop on the way home."
"The children were given a popsicle each when they returned from the beach."
"This café serves a wide selection of chilled drinks and freshly made popsicles."
The regular plural is used when referring to multiple individual frozen treats.
"The shop sells fruit popsicles, ice creams, and chilled drinks."
A word invented as a trademark in the 1920s, “popsicle” eventually became so widely used that the original company lost exclusive rights to it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does popsicle come from?
The word was coined in the United States in the 1920s by combining “pop” with the ending “-sicle.” It was originally used as a trademark for a molded ice confection and gradually became the generic name for this type of frozen treat. Its development reflects the early twentieth-century expansion of packaged novelty foods and mechanically mass-produced ice products.
How popsicle is actually used
The term is especially common in North American English. British speakers more often say “ice lolly,” although “popsicle” is also understood. It is sometimes used more broadly for a branded frozen treat marketed to children.