ceiling

[ see-ling ]

noun

1. the overhead interior surface of a room.
2. the top limit imposed by law on the amount of money that can be charged or spent or the quantity of goods that can be produced or sold.
3. Aeronautics.
   1. the maximum altitude from which the earth can be seen on a particular day, usually equal to the distance between the earth and the base of the lowest cloud bank.
   2. Also called absolute ceiling. the maximum altitude at which a particular aircraft can operate under specified conditions.
4. Meteorology. the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky.
5. a lining applied for structural reasons to a framework, especially in the interior surfaces of a ship or boat.
6. Also called ceiling piece. Theater. the ceiling or top of an interior set, made of cloth, a flat, or two or more flats hinged together.
7. the act or work of a person who makes or finishes a ceiling.
8. vaulting, as in a medieval church.

ceiling

/ ˈsiːlɪŋ /

noun

1. the inner upper surface of a room
2. 1. an upper limit, such as one set by regulation on prices or wages
   2. ( as modifier )

      ceiling prices

3. the upper altitude to which an aircraft can climb measured under specified conditions See also service ceiling absolute ceiling
4. meteorol the highest level in the atmosphere from which the earth's surface is visible at a particular time, usually the base of a cloud layer
5. a wooden or metal surface fixed to the interior frames of a vessel for rigidity

Other Words From

• ceil·inged adjective
• sub·ceil·ing noun
• un·ceil·inged adjective
• un·der·ceil·ing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceiling¹

1350–1400, ceiling fordef 7; Middle English; ceil, -ing ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceiling¹

C14: of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit the ceiling, Informal. to become enraged:

   When he saw the amount of the bill, he hit the ceiling.

More idioms and phrases containing ceiling

see glass ceiling ; hit the ceiling .

Example Sentences

At some point, the skyrocketing subscriber business could hit a ceiling or investors could demand better margin growth.

From Digiday

Especially interesting are prints found on the cave’s ceiling.

From Science News For Students

Now intriguingly enough, the animation showcases a rather curious opening along the ceiling, which was actually called the compluvium.

From Realm of History

For one, developers had less incentive to build new housing if there was a ceiling placed on what they could charge.

From Freakonomics

T-Mobile, for instance, had a program called Binge On that let customers stream Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu without that counting toward their data-usage ceiling.

From Freakonomics

Fourteen years on, the wooden stairs and ceiling are still charred, and the walls are studded with clusters of bullet holes.

From The Daily Beast

The floor-to-ceiling Texas flag, the single most imposing feature of the room, began to rise.

From The Daily Beast

What kind of advice would you give to young women to overcome that glass ceiling?

From The Daily Beast

Many, especially those who come from an economically disadvantaged background, still face a glass ceiling.

From The Daily Beast

He grasps the phone in his capable hand, outstretches his long arm toward the ceiling, and angles it down just so.

From The Daily Beast

Both of the orator's hands swung upward and outward, and he looked intently at the ceiling.

From Project Gutenberg

From above, through the ceiling, came the vibration of some machine at work, and the machine might have been the loom of time.

From Project Gutenberg

Poor wretches—they were afraid to refuse, yet their gorge rose at the deed, and they fired at the ceiling!

From Project Gutenberg

A man had come to stand beside it, his body screening the light of one of the lamps that hung from a rafter of the ceiling.

From Project Gutenberg

Even Henrietta stopped eating, looked upward at the dusty ceiling, and listened for a repetition of the sound.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• beam
• plaster
• roof