tile

noun, often attributive

\ ˈtī(-ə)l

Definition of tile

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

tile

verb

tiled; tiling

Definition of tile (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to cover with tiles

2 : to install drainage tile in

Other Words from tile Example Sentences Learn More about tile

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Examples of tile in a Sentence

Noun

We installed new tile in the kitchen.

Verb

We hired him to tile the bathroom floor.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The outside is generally brick, but the flue—the interior column—is typically made of clay tile. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "So You Want To Fix Your Chimney," 21 Dec. 2018 One is a third-century Roman chariot scene, made from 60,000 little pieces of tile. — Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, "Former Corktown bachelor pad is now a loft fit for the whole family," 14 July 2018 Even the weakest-performing mops in our test were able to get most stains off of ceramic and vinyl tile. — The Good Housekeeping Institute, Good Housekeeping, "How We Tested Steam Mops," 23 May 2012 Follow this guide to remove unwanted cat pee odors from carpet, upholstery, wood, and tile. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "How to Get Rid of That Cat Pee Smell on Carpets, Wood, and Upholstery," 17 Dec. 2018 However, the girl's mother forced her to sleep on a tile bathroom floor that night without pillows or blankets. — Steven Martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dousman parents ripped out daughter's earring, locked her out of house as punishment for disobedience, complaint says," 10 July 2018 Pantone menu tiles describe an array of sweet and savory options. — Alex Kiesig, idahostatesman, "'I love this city': Eat your way through the Capital City Public Market," 6 July 2018 The theatre is now dried-in with ceilings, paint, countertops, and floor tile installed. — Karen Huppertz, ajc, "Sugar Hill’s performing arts theatre nearing completion," 4 July 2018 Nike used giant terrazzo panels, tile-and-lighting installations and concrete-and-iron patterns to give its 30,000-square-foot Nike Miami store at 1035 Lincoln Road, which opened in 2017, a distinct vibe. — Rene Rodriguez, miamiherald, "Lincoln Road keeps growing — and its small businesses keep closing," 25 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Photo: Vanessa Berberian for The Wall Street Journal More from Mansion The kitchen cabinets and countertops are made from dark wenge hardwood, and its floor is tiled in a herringbone pattern of black bricks. — Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, "Building a Home Over the Office to Achieve Work-Life Balance," 20 Nov. 2018 The newly tiled, sleek white bathroom has a shower-over-tub. — Julie Lasky, New York Times, "$600,000 Homes in Florida, Connecticut and California," 24 Jan. 2018 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

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.