sky

American  

[skahy] / skaɪ /

noun

skies plural

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)

skies, present (3rd person singular) skied, past participle, past skyed, past participle, past skying present participle

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

Derived Forms

• skylike
  adjective
• skyless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• skies
  plural

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have skyed
  perfect
• have skied
  perfect
• has skied
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has skyed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is skying
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are skying
  progressive
• has been skying
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• skying
  participle
• have been skying
  perfect progressive
• am skying
  progressive 1st person singular
• skies
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had skied
  perfect
• had skyed
  perfect
• had been skying
  perfect progressive
• was skying
  progressive singular
• skyed
  simple
• skied
  simple
• skied
  participle
• were skying
  progressive plural
• skyed
  participle

Future

• will sky
  simple
• will have skied
  perfect
• will have skyed
  perfect
• will have been skying
  perfect progressive
• will be skying
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of sky

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

Explanation

Want to see the sky? Go outside and look up! That’s assuming you’re not on Mars, of course. Everything you see above the surface of the Earth is the sky. Astronomers use the term "celestial sphere" for the sky. It's the space that includes everything we can see from our earthbound perspective, including clouds, stars, the sun, and the moon. If your uncle takes you out for ice cream and says, "The sky's the limit!" he means that there is no limit at all—you can order anything, even an enormous banana split.

Example Sentences

As the first of three rounds of rockets were launched into the sky, a flock of birds dispersed from a nearby wetland area on the coast.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

The closer your husband gets to that great golf club in the sky, the more the insurance company will want him to give up the policy.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

I wish the internet looked like Matt Damon, or like lines of light written by an invisible hand in the night sky.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

Once they’re in our grip, we hum on pleasant nervous energy all weekend, watching the sky turn lilac at dusk, eating Taiwanese takeout from around the corner, wondering when things will return to normal.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

The sky was intensely blue, as if it had been washed clean.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver