canopy

American  

[kan-uh-pee] / ˈkæn ə pi /

noun

plural

canopies

1. a covering, usually of fabric, supported on poles or suspended above a bed, throne, exalted personage, or sacred object.

2. an overhanging projection or covering, as a long canvas awning stretching from the doorway of a building to a curb.

3. an ornamental, rooflike projection or covering.

4. Also called crown cover.  Also called crown canopy;.  the cover formed by the leafy upper branches of the trees in a forest.

5. the sky.

6. the part of a parachute that opens up and fills with air, usually made of nylon or silk.

7. the transparent cover over the cockpit of an airplane.

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verb (used with object)

canopied, canopying

1. to cover with or as with a canopy.

   Branches canopied the road.

canopy British  

/ ˈkænəpɪ /

noun

1. an ornamental awning above a throne or bed or held over a person of importance on ceremonial occasions

2. a rooflike covering over an altar, niche, etc

3. a roofed structure serving as a sheltered passageway or area

4. a large or wide covering, esp one high above

   the sky was a grey canopy

5. the nylon or silk hemisphere that forms the supporting surface of a parachute

6. the transparent cover of an aircraft cockpit

7. the highest level of branches and foliage in a forest, formed by the crowns of the trees

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verb

1. (tr) to cover with or as if with a canopy

Other Word Forms

• supercanopy noun
• uncanopied adjective

Etymology

Origin of canopy

1350–1400; Middle English canope < Medieval Latin canōpēum, variant of Latin cōnōpēum mosquito net < Greek kōnōpeîon bed with net to keep gnats off, equivalent to kṓnōp ( s ) gnat + -eion, neuter of -eios adj. suffix

Example Sentences

According to the researchers, these tiny plastic particles first land on the leaves in the upper canopy.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

I ordered a coffee, sat back in a worn wooden chair, and took in the warm glow of the string lights above me, arranged like a canopy over the entire restaurant.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

Blea watched through his center-mounted head-up display as the projectile shot just in front of his jet and exploded over his canopy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Workmen hammer stakes into the frozen ground to fit nets which they'll then stretch over the road in a canopy as protection against Russian drones.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

He and Elwood carried Akira and her father up into a tall canopy of Ponderosa pines, where bearclover and white alder grew among granite boulders.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz