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
Light gray ceiling tiles and someone standing over him. Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press, 25 Oct. 2024 The tiles have a distressed look and, honestly, look pretty close to the real deal. Sarah Madaus, Architectural Digest, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
Heather says her son can tile showers and backsplashes, hang drywall and install electrical outlet covers. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2024 Apps like this can also be tiled vertically even when tiling them this way will leave them partially obscured. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 18 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tile 

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 31 Oct. 2024.

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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