ceiling

American  

[see-ling] / ˈsi lɪŋ /

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.

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idioms

1. hit the ceiling, to become enraged.

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

ceiling British  

/ 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

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ceiling More Idioms  

1. see glass ceiling; hit the ceiling.

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Other Word Forms

• ceilinged
  adjective
• subceiling
  noun
• unceilinged
  adjective
• underceiling
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ceiling

1350–1400, ceiling for def. 7; Middle English; see ceil, -ing ¹

Explanation

A ceiling is the upper surface of a room. If you’re lying on the floor, you’re staring up at the ceiling. If you’re lying on the ceiling, you’ll be lying on the floor again soon. You may have heard the sky’s the limit — but in truth, the limit is the ceiling, both physically and metaphorically. The top of a room, but still under the roof, a ceiling is the point at which you can go no farther. You’ll find both helium balloons and hot tempers hitting it. In the workplace, if you aren't getting that promotion and can't understand why, you might have hit a "glass ceiling."

Example Sentences

“But it does have a ceiling to it. Even at its best, it does not grant the resources that this film offered.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

The majestic Midtown railway nexus Grand Central Terminal has been on sightseers’ lists since it opened in 1913, with the cavernous interior celestial ceiling, a verdant astrological mural, exerting particular fascination.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

But that also puts a ceiling on memory, so the chip can only support smaller AI models, like OpenAI’s Codex-Spark, which runs at blisteringly fast speeds on Cerebras hardware.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

But that familiar protection system has a built in ceiling.

From Science Daily • May 10, 2026

She looked from me back up to where shrieks and screams and stomps rattled the ceiling.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• beam
• plaster
• roof