tile

American  

[tahyl] / taɪl /

noun

1. a thin slab or bent piece of baked clay, sometimes painted or glazed, used for various purposes, as to form one of the units of a roof covering, floor, or revetment.

2. any of various similar slabs or pieces, as of linoleum, stone, rubber, or metal.

3. tiles collectively.

4. a flat, rectangular playing piece used in certain games, as Scrabble and mah-jongg.

5. a pottery tube or pipe used for draining land.

6. Also called hollow tile.  any of various hollow or cellular units of burnt clay or other materials, as gypsum or cinder concrete, for building walls, partitions, floors, and roofs, or for fireproofing steelwork or the like.

7. Informal. a stiff hat or high silk hat.

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verb (used with object)

tiled, tiling

1. to cover with or as with tiles.

tile British  

/ taɪl /

noun

1. a flat thin slab of fired clay, rubber, linoleum, etc, usually square or rectangular and sometimes ornamental, used with others to cover a roof, floor, wall, etc

2. a short pipe made of earthenware, concrete, or plastic, used with others to form a drain

3. tiles collectively

4. a rectangular block used as a playing piece in mah jong and other games

5. old-fashioned a hat

6. informal on a spree, esp of drinking or debauchery

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verb

1. (tr) to cover with tiles

Other Word Forms

• retile verb (used with object)
• tilelike adjective
• tiler noun

Etymology

Origin of tile

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English tīgele (cognate with German Ziegel ), from Latin tēgula

Explanation

A tile is a flat piece of material that's used to cover a roof, floor, or wall. If you're artistic, you can make a mosaic out of small, colorful glass tiles. Most tiles are made out of ceramic, metal, glass, or stone. Many baths and showers are lined with ceramic tiles, and it's also common to find tiles covering bathroom and kitchen floors. Historians have traced tiles back at least as far as the 13th century BCE, in Mesopotamia. To cover a surface in tiles is to tile. Flat, hard game pieces are also commonly known as tiles, like the Scrabble tiles you pick at the beginning of a game. The root of this word means "to cover."

Example Sentences

Because the walls, ceiling and floor were 100% tile, removing the tub required the removal of all the walls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

However, there are several pops of color throughout the home, including a large pink couch in one of the living areas, as well as funky yellow-and-green tile in a bathroom.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

The tile chain, based in Enderby, Leicestershire, said closing 7% of its 319-strong estate would help cut costs as part of "significant self-help measures".

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

"We are suffering a lot," said Kishor Dulera, a tile unit proprietor who closed this factory and two others in early March, sending hundreds of workers home.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Modest white outside walls crowned with slanting tile decorations gave no hint of the elaborate courtyards and inner living quarters that were hidden like pearls in their oyster shells.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Related Words

• brick
• plate
• shingle