tier

¹ American  

[teer] / tɪər /

noun

1. one of a series of rows or ranks rising one behind or above another, as of seats in an amphitheater, boxes in a theater, guns in a man-of-war, or oars in an ancient galley.

2. one of a number of galleries, as in a theater.

3. a layer; level; stratum.

   The wedding cake had six tiers.

   All three tiers of the firm's management now report to one director.

4. Australian. a mountain range.

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verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in tiers.

verb (used without object)

1. to rise in tiers.

tier ² American  

[tahy-er] / ˈtaɪ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that ties.

2. Nautical. a short rope or band for securing a furled sail.

3. New England. a child's apron or pinafore.

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tier ¹ British  

/ tɪə /

noun

1. one of a set of rows placed one above and behind the other, such as theatre seats

2. 1. a layer or level

   2. ( in combination )

      a three-tier cake

3. a rank, order, or row

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verb

1. to be or arrange in tiers

tier ² British  

/ ˈtaɪə /

noun

1. a person or thing that ties

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Etymology

Origin of tier¹

First recorded in 1560–70; earlier also tire, tyre, teare, from Middle French, Old French tire, tiere “order, row, rank,” from Germanic; compare Old English, Old Saxon tīr, Old High German zēri “glory, adornment”

Origin of tier²

First recorded in 1625–35; tie + -er ¹

Example Sentences

At CES in Las Vegas this week Dell announced plans to play in some of those lower tiers with new product releases set to hit the market in 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then playing in France’s second tier, the club had plenty of room to grow—many Parisians were barely aware it existed.

From The Wall Street Journal

This handy chart below breaks out different tiers of net worth, from the 25th percentile to the top 1%, by age.

From MarketWatch

Paid tiers tend to allocate the processing power to give you better answers, says Mike Caulfield, a digital literacy expert at the University of Washington Bothell.

From The Wall Street Journal

That includes everything from tax-and-estate planning to, at the upper tiers of wealth, services such as staffing and property management.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• category
• layer
• row