tile

[tahyl]

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.

verb (used with object)

tiled, tiling 

1. to cover with or as with tiles.

tile

/ 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

verb

1. (tr) to cover with tiles

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tile¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tile¹

Old English tīgele, from Latin tēgula; related to German Ziegel

Example Sentences

Past a blooming gold medallion tree, and at the end of a path of spaced concrete tiles, there’s a shed with a seafoam-green door that houses the heart of his life’s work.

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They leave me to prepare myself in the attached full bathroom, with walls and heated floor tiles in a dusty cobalt reminiscent of the sky just before dawn in spring.

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"It's so people remember," he said, holding a small tile reading: "The flood reached this point. Only the people save the people."

Read more on Barron's

Moving into the chef’s kitchen, there are marble and dolomite countertops, a custom mosaic tile backsplash, a wine tap, and state-of-the-art appliances.

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The property also comes complete with a covered porch that boasts multiple seating areas, tile flooring, and blue-trim screening, which offers a tropical pop of color.

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Related Words

• brick 
• plate 
• shingle