ace

AYS/eɪs/

Pluralaces

Verbaces, acing, aced

20 meanings of ace

Practice

1
playing cardnouncountable
A playing card with a single pip, usually ranking highest or lowest; also the side of a die marked with one dot.
He held two aces and a king, and bet everything he had.
Pulling the ace of spades from the deck, the magician grinned at the audience.
UsageNamed with of and the suit: the ace of spades. Also in an ace up your sleeve, a hidden advantage.
Note
Whether it outranks the king or sits below the two depends on the game, not the card, and players name it by suit, as in the ace of spades.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
An ace's high or low ranking depends on the game. en.wiktionary.org
An ace can be identified by its suit, including spades. en.wikipedia.org
2
do perfectlyverbcolloquialUStransitive
To do extremely well on a test, an interview, or a similar trial, often with a perfect or near-perfect result.
He aced every exam in his final semester.
Candidates who ace the first interview are usually called back within the week.
UsageThe object is the test or task itself: ace an exam, ace an interview.
Similarnail, crush
Oppositefail, flunk
3
expertnouncountablebefore a noun
A person of supreme skill or talent at something, from a seasoned expert to a brilliant, unconventional genius.
The firm sent its ace negotiator to close the deal.
He was the ace of the newsroom, the reporter every editor wanted on a breaking story.
UsageOften before another noun: an ace detective. Alone it takes at or of: an ace at fixing cars, the ace of the newsroom.
Similarexpert, master, wizard, whiz, adept
Oppositenovice, beginner
Note
Sports reporting puts it in front of a name, as in Jon Smith's 2011 BBC Sport line about "Mexican ace Dos Santos." On its own it takes of and the field, so Delos W. Lovelace's King Kong (1932) can call Weston "the ace of theatrical agents."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The BBC quotation, author and year are correct. bbc.com
Delos W. Lovelace wrote King Kong, first published in 1932. en.wikipedia.org
The novel contains the quoted description of Weston; Weston says it about himself. upload.wikimedia.org
4
winning servenouncountable
In tennis, volleyball and similar games, a serve that wins the point outright; in tennis it counts only if the receiver fails to touch the ball.
He served an ace on the first point of the final and never looked back.
The volleyball team's new server racked up five aces in the opening set.
UsageYou serve or hit an ace; doing it to a particular opponent is ace someone.
Note
In tennis nothing wins a point more cleanly, because the receiver never makes contact: a serve that is touched but not returned wins the point without counting as an ace. Volleyball is looser, counting any serve the receivers cannot keep in play.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
A tennis ace is an untouched serve winning the point; a touched serve that is not successfully returned wins the point but is not an ace. itftennis.com
Volleyball counts a serve that directly wins the point as an ace, including when receivers touch it but cannot keep it in play. jvavolleyball.org
5
fighter pilotnouncountable
A combat pilot credited with destroying a large number of enemy aircraft, generally at least five.
By the end of the war she was the squadron's leading ace, with eleven confirmed victories.
The squadron's aces were celebrated in the newspapers back home.
6
top pitchernounUScountable
The strongest pitcher on a baseball team's staff.
With their ace on the mound, the club felt good about its chances in the playoff opener.
Both aces struggled with their control, and the series opener turned into a slugfest.
UsageUsually possessive: the team's ace, their ace on the mound.
Note
A ranking rather than a statistic: the ace is the pitcher an American baseball club trusts most, the one it wants on the mound when a game matters.
7
excellentadjectiveslangUK
Excellent, outstandingly good.
The gig was absolutely ace, and the support band was brilliant too.
He's an ace bloke, always the first to help out at the allotments.
UsageUsed for warm praise: that gig was ace. Before a noun, an ace mechanic is skilled, but an ace weekend is just great.
Similarexcellent, outstanding, first-rate
Oppositeterrible, awful, rubbish
8
hole in onenouncountable
In golf and disc golf, a hole in one: a hole completed with a single stroke from the tee.
Her ace on the par-three twelfth won her a new car from the sponsor.
In disc golf, aces are rare enough that the club keeps a plaque listing every one.
Note
Golfers keep count of these: a player makes an ace, and Arv Olson's Backspin (1992; revised 2012) tells of Colk, whose fifth of 1935 was thought a record for a single year, where the same shot is also called a dodo. Disc golf uses the word too, for a throw from the tee that finishes in the basket.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Arv Olson wrote Backspin. bcstudies.ubc.ca
Backspin was first published in 1992 as Backspin: 100 Years of Golf in British Columbia; 2012 dates the updated edition. bcstudies.ubc.ca
The cited passage describes Colk's fifth ace of 1935 as a possible annual record and calls it a dodo. en.wiktionary.org
9
verbtransitive
In golf, to score a hole in one by completing a hole with a single stroke from the tee.
She aced the par-three ninth with a seven iron and bought drinks for the whole clubhouse.
Players who ace the signature hole during the tournament win a car.
UsageThe object is the hole: ace the seventh, ace a par three.
Note
Only a shot from the tee that drops into the cup counts, so even the longest putt is never an ace. The verb is the action behind the hole-in-one noun.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
An ace requires holing the first stroke from the tee; a subsequent putt cannot qualify, regardless of its length. en.wikipedia.org
10
beat rivalsverbcolloquialUStransitive or intransitive
To beat your rivals in a contest, or to come out ahead of them in a competition.
A small startup from Ohio aced out several larger firms for the city's new transit contract.
Critics think the underdog film could ace out three studio favorites for the festival's top prize.
UsageOften as ace out: aced out larger firms, aced out of first place.
Similarbeat, outdo, outclass, trounce
Oppositelose

Less common meanings

11
perfect marknounUScountable
A perfect mark on a school test or exam.
An ace on the final would lift her grade to an A.
Three aces in a row on the chemistry quizzes earned him a seat in the advanced class.
UsageTakes on for the test: an ace on the final.
Note
The American classroom noun that partners the verb for passing perfectly: a student who aces the test comes away with an ace.
12
verbtransitive or intransitive
In tennis, to win a point against an opponent with an ace, a serve the receiver fails to hit.
Players with a big first serve can ace even the best returners when the court is playing fast.
Serving for the championship, she aced her opponent down the middle and dropped her racket in disbelief.
UsageTakes the opponent as object, aced him twice, or stands alone with a count: aced fourteen times.
13
asexual identityadjectiveslang
Asexual, or on the asexual spectrum: experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others.
She identifies as ace and has been open about it since college.
The forum is a welcoming space for ace and aromantic people alike.
UsageOften after identify as: she identifies as ace.
Similarasexual
Note
Asexual was clipped to give this word, which has nothing to do with the playing card or the expert despite the shared spelling.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Ace meaning asexual is a clipping of asexual, with a separate etymology from the playing-card and expert senses. en.wiktionary.org
14
nounslangcountable
Someone who is asexual or on the asexual spectrum, experiencing little or no sexual attraction to others.
Many aces grow up assuming they are simply late bloomers before they find a word for themselves.
She was the only ace in her friend group, so she started an online meetup for others.
UsageOften used in the plural to name the community: a meetup for aces.
Similarasexual
Note
The noun is often plural, naming people as a community: emerging aces, a meetup for aces, or Tasmin Prichard's rallying cry in Salient (2012), "Own it, aces!" Like the adjective meaning asexual, it comes from a clipping and keeps the same informal, self-chosen tone.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Tasmin Prichard wrote “Own it, aces!” in Salient in 2012. en.wiktionary.org
The noun and adjective meaning asexual come from a clipping of “asexual”. en.wiktionary.org
15
pool ballnouncountable
The ball numbered 1 in pool and similar games.
She called the ace for the side pocket and sank it cleanly.
After the break, the ace sat hanging over the corner pocket.
Note
Pool players use it when calling a shot, naming ball and pocket in one breath: "Ace in the corner," as the line runs in The Hustler (1961). The call follows that clipped pattern, the ball first and then the pocket it is meant for, with the one ball spoken of by its table name.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
“Ace in the corner” occurs in The Hustler; the screenplay assigns it to Fats. cemp.ac.uk
The Hustler was released in 1961. en.wikipedia.org
16
dollar billnounslangUScountable
A paper banknote worth one dollar.
By closing time the register was stuffed with aces and quarters.
She slid an ace across the bar and asked for change.
Similarsingle
Note
American slang for the smallest bill, heard mostly in the plural from people who handle cash: a till holds aces, fins, tens and twenties, with the coins counted apart as silver.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
Ace is American slang for a one-dollar bill. en.wiktionary.org
One dollar is the smallest denomination of US banknote currently issued. uscurrency.gov
Fin denotes a five-dollar bill in American slang. en.wiktionary.org
Silver can collectively denote coins, distinguished from banknotes. en.wiktionary.org
17
nouncountable
A very small amount or degree of something, the least possible bit.
He will not bate an ace of absolute certainty.
c. 1658, Dr. Henry More, Government of the Tongue
I'LL not wag an ace farther: The whole World ſhall not bribe me to it;
1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar
UsageToday mostly in within an ace of, meaning very close to: within an ace of winning.
Similarbit, jot, iota, hint, grain
Note
The one-spot taken as the least amount there is. Today it lives mainly in within an ace of, meaning very close to (within an ace of winning), while older writers used it in negatives: someone will not yield an ace or move an ace farther. The Government of the Tongue describes a man who "will not bate an ace of absolute certainty," and in Dryden's The Spanish Fryar (1681) a speaker will "not wag an ace farther." Jot and particle fill the same slot.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
The Government of the Tongue describes a man who will not concede even the smallest degree of certainty, using the quoted words. ccel.org
John Dryden wrote The Spanish Fryar. upload.wikimedia.org
The Spanish Fryar was first published in 1681. en.wikipedia.org
A character in The Spanish Fryar says “not wag an ace farther”; the speaker is Dominic in Act IV. upload.wikimedia.org
18
run (baseball)nounobsoleteUS
A run scored in a game of baseball.
Note
Early baseball scored aces where the modern game scores runs, and the word survives in historical accounts and vintage baseball. In an old match report, then, a side's four aces are four runs, not four pitchers; today the word belongs to the team's best pitcher.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Early baseball used ace to mean a run. en.wikipedia.org
The run sense also appears in modern accounts of vintage baseball, including this report published in 2005. fievel42.com
Four aces, when referring to a side's score in historical baseball terminology, means four runs. en.wiktionary.org
19
particle (physics)nounobsolete
A quark, one of the elementary particles that make up protons and neutrons.
Note
An abandoned name from particle physics: the particles now called quarks were also once called aces, and quark is the name that stuck. Ace now turns up only in the history of the subject, so in physics writing it should be read simply as an old word for quark.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
Ace was an alternative name for the particles called quarks, and quark became the accepted name. en.wikipedia.org
Ace is an obsolete particle-physics name for a quark. en.wiktionary.org
20
noun
Any of several butterflies in the skipper family, Hesperiidae.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of ace apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–12, 15–19

The word goes back to Latin as, assis ("unity," also "a copper coin, the unit of coinage"), which was probably taken from Etruscan. It passed through Old French as into Middle English as, and it is a doublet of as.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Ace derives from Latin as, genitive assis, meaning unity and a copper coin or unit of coinage; the Latin word was probably borrowed from Etruscan. en.wiktionary.org
The word passed through Old French as into Middle English as. en.wikipedia.org
Ace is a doublet of the English noun as, denoting a Roman coin. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 13–14

A shortened form (clipping) of asexual.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

Ace is a shortened form (clipping) of asexual. en.wiktionary.org