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
Tommy's jump shot splashing from the ceiling!
—
Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Inside, water from the ceiling continued to drip onto the pews.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
So Biallas secured the rights to high-resolution imagery of the ceiling, and the SEE team spent years developing a printing technique that could capture the texture and color of Michelangelo’s frescoes on museum-quality fabric at full scale, Corelli said.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Wrong answers raise their seat, right answers raise the seat of their opponent, and the loser pops a balloon of unspecified liquid pinned to the ceiling.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ceiling
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Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Inside, water from the ceiling continued to drip onto the pews.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
So Biallas secured the rights to high-resolution imagery of the ceiling, and the SEE team spent years developing a printing technique that could capture the texture and color of Michelangelo’s frescoes on museum-quality fabric at full scale, Corelli said.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Wrong answers raise their seat, right answers raise the seat of their opponent, and the loser pops a balloon of unspecified liquid pinned to the ceiling.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ceiling
Cite this Entry
“Ceiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ceiling. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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
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