title

American  

[tahyt-l] / ˈtaɪt l /

noun

• titles
  plural

1. the distinguishing name of a book, poem, picture, piece of music, or the like.

2. a descriptive heading or caption, as of a chapter, section, or other part of a book.

3. title page.

4. a descriptive or distinctive appellation, especially one belonging to a person by right of rank, office, attainment, etc..

   the title of Lord Mayor.

   Synonyms:

   denomination, designation

5. Sports. the championship.

   He won the title three years in a row.

6. an established or recognized right to something.

7. a ground or basis for a claim.

8. anything that provides a ground or basis for a claim.

9. Law.

   1. legal right to the possession of property, especially real property.

   2. the ground or evidence of such right.

   3. the instrument constituting evidence of such right.

   4. a unity combining all of the requisites to complete legal ownership.

   5. a division of a statute, lawbook, etc., especially one larger than an article or section.

   6. (in pleading) the designation of one's basis for judicial relief; the cause of action sued upon, as a contract or tort.

10. Ecclesiastical.

    1. a fixed sphere of work and source of income, required as a condition of ordination.

    2. any of certain Roman Catholic churches in Rome, the nominal incumbents of which are cardinals.

11. Movies, Television. Usually titles.

    1. a subtitle in the viewer's own language.

       an Italian movie with English titles.

    2. any written matter inserted into the film or program, especially the list of actors, technicians, writers, etc., contributing to it; credits.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a title.

   the title story in a collection.

2. that decides a title.

   a title bout.

verb (used with object)

• titles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• titled,
  past participle,  past
• titling
  present participle

1. to furnish with a title; designate by an appellation; entitle.

   Synonyms:

   style, call, term, denominate

title British  

/ ˈtaɪtəl /

noun

1. the distinctive name of a work of art, musical or literary composition, etc

2. a descriptive name, caption, or heading of a section of a book, speech, etc

3. See title page

4. a name or epithet signifying rank, office, or function

5. a formal designation, such as Mr, Mrs, or Miss

6. an appellation designating nobility

7. films

   1. short for subtitle

   2. written material giving credits in a film or television programme

8. sport a championship

9. property law

   1. the legal right to possession of property, esp real property

   2. the basis of such right

   3. the documentary evidence of such right

      title deeds

10. law

    1. the heading or a division of a statute, book of law, etc

    2. the heading of a suit or action at law

11. 1. any customary or established right

    2. a claim based on such a right

12. a definite spiritual charge or office in the church, without appointment to which a candidate for holy orders cannot lawfully be ordained

13. RC Church a titular church

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verb

1. (tr) to give a title to

Usage

What is a title? A title is the distinct name of a creative work, as in The title of the movie was King Kong. A title is also a formal descriptive term given to a person, as in The diplomat made sure to address the duchess using her proper title. A title is also a championship in sports, The team won the title last year and they came into the season ready to defend it. Almost all books, movies, pieces of art, video games, and all other creative works have titles. Their title is the name they are referred to. For example, Of Mice and Men is the title of a book by John Steinbeck. Further divisions of a work, such as chapters of a book or episodes of a TV show, may also have their own titles. Something that doesn’t have a title but is expected to is said to be untitled. Title can be used in this sense as an adjective, like a title story. When used as a verb, it means to give a title to someone or something, as in The songwriter titled his newest work “Sonata 23.”The word title is also a formal term given to a person based on their rank, authority, achievements, or other qualifying reason. A title usually precedes a person’s name and, if so, is capitalized, as with Doctor, Professor, Sergeant, President, and Prime Minister. Finally, a title is also a championship in sports. When used as an adjective in this sense it describes something that decides who gets the title, like a title game. Example: The title of my favorite movie is The Godfather.

Synonym Usage

See name.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undertitle
  noun
• mistitle
  verb (used with object)
• retitle
  verb (used with object)
• nontitle
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• titles
  plural

Participles

• titling
  present
• titled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• title
  simple
• titles
  simple
• have titled
  perfect
• has titled
  perfect
• am titling
  progressive
• are titling
  progressive
• is titling
  progressive
• have been titling
  perfect progressive
• has been titling
  perfect progressive

Past

• titled
  simple
• had titled
  perfect
• was titling
  progressive
• were titling
  progressive
• had been titling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will title
  simple
• will have titled
  perfect
• will be titling
  progressive
• will have been titling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of title

First recorded before 950; Middle English, variant of titel, Old English titul, from Latin titulus “superscription, title”

Explanation

A title is typically the official part of your name, placed at the beginning to signify a certain status or function. So, do you prefer "Mr.," "Mrs.," "Dr." or "Ms"? Or perhaps you just go by "Grand Pooh-bah"? There seem to be as many ways to use the word title as there are titles on a library shelf — because a title is also what you call a book or song or work of art. Titles are even given to statutes and acts of legislature. When you buy a car, you get a title, which is a piece of paper certifying your ownership. And when your favorite team wins the championship? You often say they won the title — and the right to brag.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

title titles titled titling

A few weeks after that initial email, Cofnas published a post on Substack under the title “DEI Fraud and Cover-Up at Cambridge,” in which he cast doubt on the academic integrity of Arday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Alcaraz has been replaced as world number two by Alexander Zverev after being unable to defend his Cincinnati Open title.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Given the film’s title, we can guess where it is going.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Due to print availability, not every title in the series will be screened using the special equipment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Still, Frank wrote down Adam’s name at the top of a list under the title “WHO?”

From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Leon Osman: They look like a team that are ready to have a run at winning three titles in the next four or five years.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Just over a year earlier, Thorslund relinquished her WBC and WBO titles after becoming pregnant.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Other titles to be shown using the VistaVision projector include John Sturges’ “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” Robert Lewis’ musical “Anything Goes” and Michael Curtiz’s comedy “We’re No Angels.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

In 2022, the press opened North Figueroa Bookshop in Highland Park with fellow L.A. publisher Rare Bird Books — it stocks all publishers’ titles, not just their own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

But when I’d seen those courses in the catalog, and read their titles aloud, I had felt something infinite, and I wanted a taste of that infinity.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

It was only when she came across the aquatic-rescue training resource titled “Open Water Lifesaving” that she felt her difficulties were recognized.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

She is the princess, and this is the castle she’ll be locked in, an indomitable beast of a citadel fittingly titled the Tower Hotel.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

That same year, in a manifesto titled "Machines of Loving Grace", Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei touted the potential of AI to transform everything from healthcare to politics.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

There was a demo track titled “Death of Me” and it just grabbed my attention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Dahlgren did not appear—to do so would be to violate her own argument that women should not participate in public forums—but she offered a written statement titled “Protest against Woman Suffrage.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

The 28-year-old documented his preparations in the lead-up to Saturday's record attempt, titling his endeavours 'Project 222' in reference to the total number of seconds standing between him and history.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

He posted his microscope photos in a few places online, titling them “the people’s algae.”

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

The selloff sparked colorful reactions, with Daniel O’Regan, Mizuho’s managing director for equity trading, titling his Tuesday note to clients: “Tech Wreck.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

What you “see” is the combined effect of sight and your ear canals telling you that you are titling backwards.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 9, 2026

Then I posted all of it online, titling it: “Trolls in the Dungeon.”

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• championship
• crown
• medal
• power