sky

American  

[skahy] / skaɪ /

noun

PLURAL

skies

1. the region of the clouds or the upper air; the upper atmosphere of the earth.

   airplanes in the sky; cloudy skies.

2. the heavens or firmament, appearing as a great arch or vault.

3. the supernal or celestial heaven.

   They looked to the sky for help.

4. the climate.

   the sunny skies of Italy.

5. Obsolete.  a cloud.

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verb (used with object)

skied, skyed, skying

1. Informal.  to raise, throw, or hit aloft or into the air.

2. Informal.  to hang (a painting) high on a wall, above the line of vision.

verb phrase

1. sky up  (of prey, when flushed) to fly straight upward.

idioms

1. to the skies,  with lavishness or enthusiasm; extravagantly: Also to the sky

   to praise someone to the skies.

2. out of a / the clear sky,  without advance notice or warning; abruptly: Also out of athe clear blue sky

   An old beau phoned her out of a clear sky.

sky British  

/ skaɪ /

noun

1. (sometimes plural) the apparently dome-shaped expanse extending upwards from the horizon that is characteristically blue or grey during the day, red in the evening, and black at night

2. outer space, as seen from the earth

3. (often plural) weather, as described by the appearance of the upper air

   sunny skies

4. the source of divine power; heaven

5. informal  the highest level of attainment

   the sky's the limit

6. highly; extravagantly

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verb

1. rowing to lift (the blade of an oar) too high before a stroke

2. informal  (tr) to hit (a ball) high in the air

sky Scientific  

/ skī /

1. The atmosphere, as seen from a given point on the Earth's surface. The sky appears to be blue because the wavelengths associated with blue light are scattered more easily than those that are associated with the other colors.

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sky More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sky

• blow sky-high
• out of a clear blue sky
• pie in the sky
• reach for the sky

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Other Word Forms

• skyless adjective
• skylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of sky

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old Norse skȳ “cloud,” cognate with Old English scēo “cloud”

Example Sentences

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made aviation comedies; Harry Houdini took to the skies in “The Grim Game.”

From Los Angeles Times

Space Force Capt. Gordon McCulloh was sitting in a military propeller plane high in the calm, dark sky over New Mexico on a recent Wednesday night when his squadron’s group chat blew up.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It's the very beginning of Baroque painting, depicting a crucified Christ, isolated, luminous and standing out vividly against a dark and threatening sky," he said.

From Barron's

So, an international team of astronomers began to tune the radio telescopes, searching the sky for the ‘special message’ from stars other than our Sun.

From Space Scoop

The background of the artwork echoes Van Gogh's Starry Night with two suns hanging in the sky that aim to represent the meeting of the two artists and their styles.

From BBC