tile

noun, often attributive \ ˈtī(-ə)l \

Updated on: 15 Apr 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

The Tile Store has expanded tile to include natural stone, slate, limestone, ceramic porcelain, glass and other types of decorative materials.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Tile Shop in West Allis remakes itself and is ready to help customers do the same," 10 Apr. 2018
The walls have papier-mache tiles originally painted in shades of golds, blues and greens and later covered in cream colour.

— mayra cruz, Houston Chronicle, "Tomball ISD considers proposals to design, build new $51.2 million stadium," 7 Apr. 2018
Each attack, on both sides of the battlefield, only affects tiles in a preset range.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Hands-on with Bard’s Tale 4, the first proper series entry in 30 years," 26 Mar. 2018
Adhesive panels that mimic tile might satisfy your yen for a quick fix.

— lisa marie hart, USA TODAY, "Take a fresh approach to updating your entire house," 25 Mar. 2018
Entering the building, the main foyer has floor tiles of veined Alabama marble.

— william thornton, AL.com, "Encompass Health ready to open new home office," 23 Mar. 2018
In other action, the board unanimously voted to spend $72,000 to remove asbestos tiles from the hallways and art room floor from Roosevelt Elementary School during spring break, set to start March 23 and end April 3.

— heather cherone, chicagotribune.com, "District 64 board to hire additional special education coordinator for elementary schools," 19 Mar. 2018
While alone in the interrogation room at the Omaha Police Department, Hartman puts a chair on a table and pushes up a ceiling tile.

— cliff pinckard, cleveland.com, "Video shows Nebraska man try to hide drugs in police station ceiling," 28 Feb. 2018
On Saturdays, there were bands throwing microphone stands through the Sheetrock and ripping out ceiling tiles.

— jeremy hallock, star-telegram, "Review: Matthew McNeal's sophomore effort shows maturity gained by extensive touring," 14 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

On the ceiling the space between the beams is tiled with ceramic vine motifs.

— mayra cruz, Houston Chronicle, "Tomball ISD considers proposals to design, build new $51.2 million stadium," 7 Apr. 2018
The living area features a large stone fireplace, natural limestone floor tiling, 10-foot ceilings and built-in storage.

— emma kate fittes, Indianapolis Star, "Hot Property: Inside a $750K Indianapolis home," 30 Mar. 2018
The pizza ovens are gold-tiled, there's a long counter with pizza makings at one end, a bar at the other.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Dear Diary: My dates with MidiCi," 9 Mar. 2018
The dining and garden is tiled, with hardwood flooring throughout the rest of the home.

— danielle fox, ELLE Decor, "The Grey Gardens Carriage House In East Hampton Is Up For Sale," 23 Jan. 2018
The powder room is tiled up to the ceiling (typical of many of the home’s bathroom walls) and has crystal pendant lights.

— julie lasky, New York Times, "$1.5 Million Homes in Tennessee, Illinois and Hawaii," 17 Jan. 2018
Each villa has a lofty ceiling, a huge shower tiled by a local artist, and a plunge pool with a sweeping view.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Singita Pamushana Lodge," 22 Dec. 2017
Buttery poached crab, tiled with a fragrant layer of fresh allspice leaves, conceals an egg yolk that erupts near the final bite.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 10 Best New Restaurants of 2017," 12 Dec. 2017
The master suite is two steps down and has a wall of built-in closets with cedar interiors and a bathroom with a double Syndecrete vanity and a shower tiled in the same material.

— tim mckeough, New York Times, "$1.7 Million Homes in Massachusetts, California and Maine," 6 Sep. 2017

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