1
a
: the overhead inside lining of a room
The room has a high ceiling.
b
: material used to ceil a wall or roof of a room
2
: something thought of as an overhanging shelter or a lofty canopy
a ceiling of stars
3
a
: the height above the ground from which prominent objects on the ground can be seen and identified
b
: the height above the ground of the base of the lowest layer of clouds when over half of the sky is obscured
4
a
b
5
: an upper usually prescribed limit
a ceiling on prices, rents, and wages
Examples of ceiling in a Sentence
The house has low ceilings.
The airplane has a ceiling of 32,000 feet.
Recent Examples on the Web
Elanco's gleaming headquarters stands four stories tall, with floor-to-ceiling blue windows on every side and several balconies that overlook the 75-acre campus and provide an unobstructed view of the downtown skyline.
—
Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
Its 12,000-square-foot store will have higher ceilings, more gasoline fueling pumps, a two-bay drive-thru carwash, additional parking and a separate diesel fueling area, according to village documents.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Realistically, what’s Ole Miss’s ceiling this season?
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The piece is a collection of disused shoemaker boxes, once used by cobblers to keep tools, pressed against each other and stacked up, clambering toward the ceiling.
—Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ceiling
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.
Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
Its 12,000-square-foot store will have higher ceilings, more gasoline fueling pumps, a two-bay drive-thru carwash, additional parking and a separate diesel fueling area, according to village documents.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Realistically, what’s Ole Miss’s ceiling this season?
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The piece is a collection of disused shoemaker boxes, once used by cobblers to keep tools, pressed against each other and stacked up, clambering toward the ceiling.
—Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ceiling
Cite this Entry
“Ceiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ceiling. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ceiling
noun
ceil·ing
ˈsē-liŋ 
1
: the overhead inside lining of a room
2
: something that hangs over or is above
3
: the height above the ground of the base of the lowest layer of clouds when over half of the sky is hidden by clouds
4
: the greatest height at which an airplane can operate efficiently
5
: an upper usually prescribed limit
a ceiling on prices
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share