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

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

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

As our footsteps echo across the stone floor tiles and the courtyards of Parliament, I notice we have already done a fair chunk of our recommended 10,000 daily steps.

From BBC

Sprawling new homes with columns, tile roofs and other architectural flourishes imported by people who had lived in the U.S. rose from what had once been fields.

From Los Angeles Times

In a fun twist of fate, Mark McCandless, the grandson of the original tile designer, installed the red and blue stoneware on the fountain using his grandfather’s tools.

From Los Angeles Times

Past a blooming gold medallion tree, and 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.

From Los Angeles Times

When we first interviewed him in the autumn of 2023, his loft space was a building site with exposed beams and tarpaulin covering roof tiles.

From BBC

Related Words

• brick 
• plate 
• shingle