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
see also:
tiled; tiling
tiler
noun
til·er
ˈtīlə(r)
plural -s
1
: one that lays tiles
2
or less commonly tyler
: a doorkeeper in a lodge of a secret society (as of Freemasons)
"
Examples of tile in a Sentence
Noun (1)
We installed new tile in the kitchen.
Verb
We hired him to tile the bathroom floor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
3 July 2026
In rooms with bold tile, wall colors should either support or balance the pattern.
—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 July 2026
Christopher Clark,
NPR,
5 July 2026
No sign remained visible that the structure was aerolite; every wall was tiled.
—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tile
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Noun
The ex-president saw shattered tiles in the roadway and homeless people sleeping on street corners in a city whose police department had recommended drivers stay in the middle lane to avoid carjackers.
—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
3 July 2026
In rooms with bold tile, wall colors should either support or balance the pattern.
—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 July 2026
Verb
Klamaitha completed Buildher's six-month tiling program last year and now works on a rolling three-month contract at Tatu City, her first full-time construction job.
—
Christopher Clark,
NPR,
5 July 2026
No sign remained visible that the structure was aerolite; every wall was tiled.
—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tile
Cite this Entry
“Tile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tile. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tile
1 of 2 noun1
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
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