tile

noun, often attributive \ ˈtī(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 3 Aug 2018

Definition of tile

1 plural tiles or tile

a : a flat or curved piece of fired clay, stone, or concrete used especially for roofs, floors, or walls and often for ornamental work

b : a hollow or a semicircular and open earthenware or concrete piece used in constructing a drain

c : a hollow building unit made of fired clay or of shale or gypsum

2 : tiling

3 : a thin piece of resilient material (such as cork, linoleum, or rubber) used especially for covering floors or walls

4 : a thin piece resembling a ceramic tile that usually bears a mark or letter and is used as a playing piece in a board game (such as mah-jongg)

5 : hat; especially : a high silk hat

— on the tiles

British

: engaged in late-night carousing

See tile defined for English-language learners

See tile defined for kids

Examples of tile in a Sentence

We installed new tile in the kitchen.

Recent Examples of tile from the Web

But what looked like missing grout and corrosion between the tiles was really grime.

— marni jameson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "7 mistakes rookie DIY decorators make," 13 July 2018
Ever wonder exactly why materials like marble and terrazzo tile are so in right now?

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "16 of the Most Innovative Furniture Designers Who Manufacture in the U.S.," 4 July 2018
Cultured stone tops the bathroom vanities and bathroom floors are finished in ceramic tile.

— tony bacewicz, courant.com, "West River Farms, East Windsor," 28 June 2018
In the backyard, a terrace with an in-ground saltwater pool is surrounded by a large deck covered in terra-cotta tile.

— New York Times, "House Hunting in … Portugal," 6 June 2018
Among features are three period fireplaces, exotic pendant light fixtures and an open-plan kitchen lined in artistic tile.

— neal j. leitereg, jack flemming and lauren beale, sacbee, "Hot Property: $68 million farmhouse mansion sells | The Sacramento Bee," 21 May 2018
Among features are three period fireplaces, exotic pendant light fixtures and an open-plan kitchen lined in artistic tile.

— neal j. leitereg, latimes.com, "Hot Property: Studio titan's estate draws $68 million in Holmby Hills," 19 May 2018
This functional public art work covered in tiny glass mosaic tiles is a community favorite and can be found in Town Green Park near the Storybook Maze near the Library Building.

— nickole kerner bobley, Houston Chronicle, "ART FEEL: Local couple sponsors colorful art bench," 9 Mar. 2018
The walls are clad in brown subway tiles that echo colors in the terrazzo flooring.

— john g. bloodsworth, San Antonio Express-News, "Alamo Heights home renovated for a modern family," 13 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tile

Middle English, from Old English tigele, from Latin tegula tile; akin to Latin tegere to cover — more at thatch

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

tile

verb

Definition of tile

tiled; tiling

transitive verb

1 : to cover with tiles

2 : to install drainage tile in

—

tiler

noun

See tile defined for English-language learners

Examples of tile in a Sentence

We hired him to tile the bathroom floor.

Recent Examples of tile from the Web

Heading east, Pakenham spies a parked van from a tiling company and clicks on his iPhone — the first step in collecting evidence.

— elizabeth royte, Daily Intelligencer, "George Pakenham is waging a one-man war on air pollution on the Upper West Side.," 10 July 2018
One of the property’s three bathrooms, tiled in marble.

— ruth bloomfield, WSJ, "How to Live Luxe—and With Light—in a Basement Home," 13 June 2018
German firm Bureau Oberhaeuser has a new concept for Tesla's interface that takes a cue from the world of smart devices and tablets, allowing multiple apps to be tiled at once and moved around at will.

— john wenz, Popular Mechanics, "Imagine If Your Tesla's Console Worked Like This," 18 Mar. 2015
On the ceiling the space between the beams is tiled with ceramic vine motifs.

— Houston Chronicle, "City pool opens for summer; extensive renovations complete," 26 May 2018
For one, the station got a $125 million renovation completed in 2011 that included new artwork, entrances and staircases, elevators, tiling and lighting.

— anne kadet, WSJ, "This New York City Subway Station Gets Rave Reviews," 1 May 2018
On the ceiling the space between the beams is tiled with ceramic vine motifs.

— Houston Chronicle, "City pool opens for summer; extensive renovations complete," 26 May 2018
Hardwood floors make up the living areas, while carpeting is found in the bedrooms, and tiling in the bathrooms.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "Midcentury modern charmer wants $799K," 9 Apr. 2018
Up to four Surface Hub 2s can be tiled together in either portrait or landscape mode.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "Surface Hub 2 coming in 2019, looks amazing," 15 May 2018

First Known Use of tile

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TILE Defined for English Language Learners

tile

noun

Definition of tile for English Language Learners

: a usually flat piece of hard clay, stone, or other material that is used for covering walls, floors, etc.
: a curved piece of hard clay that is used for covering roofs
: a small, flat piece that is used in some board games