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
tiled; tiling
tiler
noun
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
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
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
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 2 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
tile
1 of 2 noun1
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
More from Merriam-Webster on tile
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tile
Nglish: Translation of tile for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tile for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tile
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