tile

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtī(-ə)l 

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

see also:

on the tiles

tile

2 of 3

verb

tiled; tiling

transitive verb

1

: to cover with tiles

2

: to install drainage tile in

tiler noun

tiler

3 of 3

noun (2)

til·​er

ˈtīlə(r)

plural -s

1

: one that lays tiles

2

or less commonly tyler

"

: a doorkeeper in a lodge of a secret society (as of Freemasons)

Examples of tile in a Sentence

Noun (1)

We installed new tile in the kitchen.

Verb

We hired him to tile the bathroom floor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in April, everyone’s favorite tile turner Vanna White compared her two cohosts. —Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026

About 25% of viewing for the Roku Channel comes from a user clicking on the on-screen tile for the channel, with the other 75% coming from search traffic or other sources, Wood estimated. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 15 June 2026

Verb

Pairing the original bathroom tile with modern design elements is a lovely way to bridge the gap between the old and the new and honor the home’s history. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 June 2026

Both Wens and Williams still consider this material one of their favorite (and often affordable) options for tiling a kitchen. —Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

Middle English tyler, from tile, tyle + -er

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tile

• aisle
• bile
• chyle
• file
• guile
• heil
• isle
• kyle
• mile
• pile
• rile
• smile

Kids Definition

tile

1 of 2 noun

ˈtī(ə)l 

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