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 flat brush, specifically, has been a savior for my shower tiles. Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Like the sofa, the tables are also made from weather-resistant materials like marble tile. Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2024 Renovated in recent years, the public areas display a mix of hardwood and terracotta tile flooring, while nearly every room features at least one set of French doors opening to various parts of the outdoor gardens. James McClain, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024 In addition, young STEM lovers will enjoy playing with one of the many Lego sets on sale, including the popular flower bouquet, or a 40-piece set of magnetic tiles that’s just $16. Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 14 Mar. 2024 More:Pontiac home that went viral for $1 listing goes through renovations, sells for $140,000 The mansion has all new windows, new tile roof and copper gutters, all new electrical, plumbing and gas underground services prepped to be brought into the house, reads the real estate listing description. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024 Visitors flit between the monumental swimming pool crowned with a glass roof, the thermal pools surrounded by regal lion heads spurting water and walls of Zsolnay porcelain tiles, and the pummeling outdoor wave pool that opens at the end of May every year. Alia Akkam, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2024 Behind a tall rock wall, the campus was a lovely oasis: ibises flew around acacia trees that were scattered among a series of small, squat buildings with red tile roofs, each housing a couple of grades. Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Oakland Tech had won state tiles in three of the past five seasons, the two non-championship seasons being cut short due to the pandemic. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Verb
If the plane is tiled with this kind of superposition, there’s a procedure for filling in gaps without revealing any information about the overall quantum state. Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 17 Mar. 2024 My new home’s bathroom is fully tiled from floor to ceiling, and the toilet is right next to the shower. Meggen Harris, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Each card has a point value and a pictogram that tells you which tiles on the board the card affects relative to its position. Ash Parrish, The Verge, 26 Feb. 2024 At some locations Hamas spent the effort to tile the tunnels and the rooms built off to the side. Michael Tobin, Fox News, 12 Feb. 2024 The first possibility is that the shape will not tile the plane. Craig S. Kaplan, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023 The second possibility is that the shape tiles the plane periodically. Craig S. Kaplan, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023 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

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 Mar. 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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