tile

1 of 2

noun

ˈtī(-ə)l 

often attributive

1

plural tiles or tile

a

: a flat or curved piece of fired clay, stone, or concrete used especially for roofs, floors, or walls and often for ornamental work

b

: a hollow or a semicircular and open earthenware or concrete piece used in constructing a drain

c

: a hollow building unit made of fired clay or of shale or gypsum

2

: tiling

3

: a thin piece of resilient material (such as cork, linoleum, or rubber) used especially for covering floors or walls

4

: a thin piece resembling a ceramic tile that usually bears a mark or letter and is used as a playing piece in a board game (such as mah-jongg)

5

: hat

especially : a high silk hat

tile

2 of 2

verb

tiled; tiling

transitive verb

1

: to cover with tiles

2

: to install drainage tile in

tiler noun

Phrases

on the tiles

British

: engaged in late-night carousing

Examples of tile in a Sentence

Noun

We installed new tile in the kitchen.

Verb

We hired him to tile the bathroom floor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The era embraced brightly colored tile, sunken bathtubs, carpeted floors, and other accoutrements that were then the cutting edge of bathroom decorating. —Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 11 Dec. 2024

At Assembly Line, customers can look at wallpaper and tile samples in addition to furniture, light fixtures, and tabletop accessories. —Rachel Davies, Curbed, 9 Dec. 2024

Verb

Or skip brunch and head to Ocean Beach, for a California burrito, one of San Diego’s quintessential dishes (carne asada, French fries, guacamole and more, $15), to go from Mike’s Taco Club, a counter-service spot with bottle caps tiling the walls. —Freda Moon, New York Times, 18 July 2024

This has turned into a colossal problem, the equivalent of tiling a wall before replacing the leaky pipes inside it. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English tigele, from Latin tegula tile; akin to Latin tegere to cover — more at thatch

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tile

1 of 2 noun

ˈtī(ə)l 

1

plural tiles or tile

a

: a flat or curved piece (as of fired clay, stone, or concrete) used especially for roofs or floors

b

: a pipe of earthenware used for a drain

2

: a thin piece of material (as linoleum or rubber) for covering floors or walls

tile

2 of 2 verb

tiled; tiling

: to cover with tiles