Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

tier

play
noun \ˈtir\

Definition of tier

  1. 1a :  a row, rank, or layer of articles; especially :  one of two or more rows, levels, or ranks arranged one above anotherb :  a group of political or geographic divisions that form a row across the map the southern tier of states

  2. 2 :  class, category

People Are Reading

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?
alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time
image2144101468
Better Ways to Say "This Sucks"
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Origin and Etymology of tier

Middle French tire rank, from Old French — more at attire


First Known Use: 1569

2

tier

verb

Definition of tier

  1. transitive verb

  2. :  to place or arrange in tiers

  3. intransitive verb

  4. :  to rise in tiers

Circa 1889

First Known Use of tier

circa 1889

3

tier

play
noun ti·er \ˈtī(-ə)r\
variants: or

Definition of tier

  1. :  one that ties

1633

First Known Use of tier

1633

TIER Defined for Kids

tier

play
noun \ˈtir\

Definition of tier for Students

  1. :  a row, rank, or layer usually arranged in a series one above the other

Learn More about tier

  1. See words that rhyme with tier Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tier Spanish Central: Translation of tier Nglish: Translation of tier for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tier for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tier? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

bilious

play

of or relating to bile

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

tier

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

image2144101468
That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

alt-59480e09b8844
A Pineapple Is An Apple (Kind Of)

Pineapple once had a different, more internationally common name.

alt-594938b88b98e
Read This to Get 'Smart'

A thinking person's guide

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game