soft serve

American

[sawft surv, soft] / ˈsɔft ˌsɜrv, ˈsɒft /

noun

a smooth-textured, soft ice cream that is aerated in a machine to reduce its density and pumped into a cone or cup rather than scooped like traditional hard-packed ice cream.

Other Word Forms

soft-serve adjective

Etymology

Origin of soft serve

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On Thursday evening, Mixue customers stood outside — the shop does not offer seating — eating soft serve and sipping on boba milk tea and the store’s signature grape drink with taro balls.

From Los Angeles Times

Menu items range from $1.19 for the soft serve to $4.99 for its “super-triple” milk tea with tapioca pearls, pudding and coconut jelly toppings.

From Los Angeles Times

Shi had been in the Miracle Mile neighborhood earlier in the day to visit a museum but decided to go to the Walk of Fame to see whether the affordable soft serve was better than Ikea’s version.

From Los Angeles Times

In a split-second decision, she runs into the cafe, eager for a caffeine boost, and orders everything matcha she could get her hands on — a hot lavender matcha latte, a matcha soft serve and matcha-flavored pudding.

From Los Angeles Times

Don’t forget to finish with soft serve from the ice cream stand.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023