tile

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
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

tile

2 of 2

verb

tiled; tiling

transitive verb

1
: to cover with tiles
2
: to install drainage tile in
tiler noun
Phrases
on the tiles
British
: engaged in late-night carousing

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 round brush can scrub soap scum from bathtubs, the pointed brush can tackle hard water stains on grout lines, and the flat tools can clean tiles and glass doors, for instance. Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023 The adobe has had several updates since López de Lowther’s father bought it, including a kitchen, bathroom and fireplaces — much of it with tile, fixtures and hardware from López de Lowther’s travels to Mexico, Spain and France, according to documents found at the San Gabriel Historical Assn. Yvonne Condes, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 The spacecraft was covered in thousands of ceramic tiles to protect its stainless-steel structure from the heat of reentry. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023 Anti-gentrification rules are so strict that in some neighborhoods, luxury renovations such as walk-in showers, balconies or cement tiles are turned down. Bertrand Benoit, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023 The outside is faux-rustic, capped with terra-cotta roof tiles. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023 The lower floor also includes a den, a laundry room, and two vintage bathrooms, one swaddled in lavender tile and the other with turquoise tile work around the tub/shower. Mark David, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2023 Mosaic Tiles Mosaic tile designs have been around for centuries. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Nov. 2023 Each has a shower-tub combination with a gray ceramic tile shower surround and flooring. Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
Verb
Introduction In 1961, the logician Hao Wang conjectured that if a set of shapes tiles the plane, then the shapes must be able to tile the plane periodically. Quanta Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023 Surprisingly, every triangle can tile the plane, and even more surprisingly, so can every quadrilateral. Quanta Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023 Israel has fractured Biden’s coalition a bit more, as polling shows Democrats tiling more toward the Palestinians in recent years. W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 19 Oct. 2023 The polychrome theme continues indoors in kaleidoscopic floor patterns, a wall tiled with the colors of every Latin American flag, and an immense mural by Aurelio del Muro and Marta Blair. Wes Tarca, Curbed, 12 Jan. 2023 The entrance gallery is tiled with Carrara marble; the circular staircase is lined with mirror-polished mahogany; and the small ensuite bedroom on the main floor, which spills out to a 36-foot-long terrace, is swaddled in Ultrasuede wall coverings. Mark David, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2023 Today, mathematicians still don’t know which shapes can tile three or more dimensions with the smallest possible surface area. Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 10 Feb. 2023 The floor is tiled in travertine and cross-sections of wood. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2023 Pop-up windows can be tiled by pressing and holding the top of the pop-up window and dragging it to the side where it can then be tiled. Iyaz Akhtar, PCMAG, 15 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tile.' 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, from Old English tigele, from Latin tegula tile; akin to Latin tegere to cover — more at thatch

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tile was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near tile

Cite this Entry

“Tile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tile. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

tile

1 of 2 noun
1
plural tiles or tile
a
: a flat or curved piece (as of fired clay, stone, or concrete) used especially for roofs or floors
b
: a pipe of earthenware used for a drain
2
: a thin piece of material (as linoleum or rubber) for covering floors or walls

tile

2 of 2 verb
tiled; tiling
: to cover with tiles
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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