sky

1 of 2

noun

plural skies
1
: the upper atmosphere or expanse of space that constitutes an apparent great vault or arch over the earth
2
3
a
: weather in the upper atmosphere
b
: climate
temperate English skiesG. G. Coulton

sky

2 of 2

verb

skied or skyed; skying

transitive verb

1
chiefly British : to throw or toss up : flip
2
: to hang (something, such as a painting) above the line of vision
3
: to hit (a ball) high into the air

intransitive verb

: to jump high
sky for a rebound

Example Sentences

Noun There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Dark clouds moved quickly across the sky. Hailstones suddenly fell out of the sky. The sun was high in the sky. The forecast is for sunny skies tomorrow. a patch of blue sky See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This passive solar power is enough to bring the balloons from the surface to over 20 km (66,000 ft) in the sky. Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 18 May 2023 The myths of the Great Andamanese indicated that their earliest ancestors resided in the sky, as in another story Nao Jr. related to me. Anvita Abbi, Scientific American, 16 May 2023 Warplanes swarmed low in the sky, seeming to hover one above the other. Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2023 There's a diamond in the sky over the country of Georgia — in the form of a glass bar suspended from a bridge dangling about 900 feet above the Tsalka Canyon (also known as Dashbashi Canyon). Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2023 His prior post was a video from his hotel room of the sun shining high in the sky on the first day with his new knee. Stephanie Emma Pfeffer, Peoplemag, 12 May 2023 Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 19 The balcony moment (again) Which led to young royals pointing out the aircraft in the sky. Town & Country, 12 May 2023 The claim: Video shows UFO in Chile A May 4 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows grainy footage of what appears to be a saucer-like shape hovering in the sky. Eleanor Mccrary, USA TODAY, 12 May 2023 Both keep an eye out for objects in the night sky that rapidly change in brightness, such as exploding stars, asteroids and comets. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 12 May 2023
Verb
These figures are only going to sky rocket in short order, too, now that it’s become almost impossible to buy a TV of 40 inches or bigger that doesn’t boast a native 4K resolution. John Archer, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023 The aurora can sometimes be obscured to sky watchers on the ground by clouds, but astronauts on the International Space Station can have a front-row seat to aurora activity from above. Kasha Patel, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Apr. 2023 Sunnier skies Fortunately, conditions have since changed in Lambo’s favor. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2023 With a grade-point average above 4.0, and the size and leaping ability to sky high above any net, Kelly is set to be a player to watch in his junior season for the Cubs. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2023 The background sky around the Pillars, which also sports copious dust (albeit less of it), takes on a particularly clear and crisp look in the James Webb shot. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2022 And France, which had gone ahead of England in the 78th minute, needed the unmissable Harry Kane to sky his second penalty to avoid extra time. John Powers, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Dec. 2022 Pity, then, about the dalliance with a high frame rate, which gives too much of the action of land and sky a distractingly synthetic fluidity, a look reminiscent of video game cutscenes. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 13 Dec. 2022 From corralling fish with plumes of mud to tenderizing tough prey by tossing it sky high, dolphins are known for a wide variety of intelligent feeding strategies. Sarah Keartes, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, cloud, sky, from Old Norse skȳ cloud; akin to Old English scēo cloud

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1802, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sky was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sky

Cite this Entry

“Sky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sky. Accessed 28 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

sky

noun
ˈskī
plural skies
1
: the upper atmosphere : the vast arch or dome that seems to spread over the earth
2
3
: weather entry 1, climate
the forecast is for sunny skies tomorrow

More from Merriam-Webster on sky

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!