sky

[ skahy ]

/ skaɪ /

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See synonyms for: sky / skied / skies / skyed on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural skies.Often skies (for defs. 1-4).

the region of the clouds or the upper air; the upper atmosphere of the earth: airplanes in the sky; cloudy skies.

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

the supernal or celestial heaven: They looked to the sky for help.

the climate: the sunny skies of Italy.

Obsolete. a cloud.

verb (used with object), skied or skyed, sky·ing.

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

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

Verb Phrases

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

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Idioms about sky

out of a / the clear sky, without advance notice or warning; abruptly: An old beau phoned her out of a clear sky.Also out of a / the clear blue sky .

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

Origin of sky

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

OTHER WORDS FROM sky

skyless, adjectiveskylike, adjective

Words nearby sky

skunkweed, Skunk Works, skunky, skurfing, skutterudite, sky, sky blue, sky-blue pink, skyboard, skyborne, skybox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sky in a sentence

Historical accounts of California summers describe months of smoky skies, but as a feature of the landscape, not a bug.
They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?|by Elizabeth Weil|August 28, 2020|ProPublica
When combined with additional data from other sky surveys, that alignment quantifies how much the matter in the universe is clumped together.
Scientists can’t agree on how clumpy the universe is|Emily Conover|August 10, 2020|Science News
With India’s aviation industry flying through troubled skies, sectors that are dependent on airlines have now started to feel the heat.
In India’s aviation industry, airlines aren’t the only losers|Niharika Sharma|August 3, 2020|Quartz
If you are working with smaller pieces, each contains less context for figuring out where it came from, especially in parts of the puzzle without any unique clues, like a blue sky.
For the First Time, Scientists Fully Sequenced the Human X Chromosome|Edd Gent|July 20, 2020|Singularity Hub

Four years ago, three big tech companies had plans in the works to beam internet down to Earth from the sky, and each scenario sounded wilder than the next.
Google Loon Is Now Beaming WiFi Down to Earth From Giant Balloons|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|July 12, 2020|Singularity Hub
They looked up into the blue sky as the helicopters flew over in a lost man formation.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos|Michael Daly|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Where these laser-like missiles are falling out of the sky onto a city and you have to stop each of them from hitting the targets?
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange|Marlow Stern|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“At least it keeps the mosquitoes away,” one of my table-mates said, as we watched the swooshes of smoke waft into the Havana sky.
Canada ♥ Cuba Just Got Complicated|Shinan Govani|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rob Marshall lets a sigh of relief erupt so loud it could be heard by giants in the sky.
Rob Marshall Defends ‘Into the Woods’|Kevin Fallon|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sky is not the limit; beliefs still must be sincere and connected to some for-real source.
In Florida, ’Tis The Season for Satan|Jay Michaelson|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was the darkest hour of twilight, when there was just enough of gleam from the lurid sky, to shew the outline of objects.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
He had seen through a powerful naval glass some figures standing erect and silhouetted against the sky on the parapet.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
If it should ever be my lot to take the Long Trail at short notice, I hope it will be under a blue sky and a blazing sun.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The storm, however, was over; the moon and stars were shining in a clear sky, and the aurora was dancing merrily.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for sky

sky

/ (skaɪ) /

noun plural skies

(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 nightRelated adjectives: celestial, empyrean

outer space, as seen from the earth

(often plural) weather, as described by the appearance of the upper airsunny skies

the source of divine power; heaven

informal the highest level of attainmentthe sky's the limit

to the skies highly; extravagantly

verb skies, skying or skied

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

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

Derived forms of sky

skylike, adjective

Word Origin for sky

C13: from Old Norse skӯ; related to Old English scio cloud, Old Saxon skio, Old Norse skjār transparent skin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sky

sky

[ skī ]

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with sky

sky

In addition to the idiom beginning with sky

, also see

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

reach for the sky.