ceiling
Americannoun
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the overhead interior surface of a room.
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the top limit imposed by law on the amount of money that can be charged or spent or the quantity of goods that can be produced or sold.
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Aeronautics.
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the maximum altitude from which the earth can be seen on a particular day, usually equal to the distance between the earth and the base of the lowest cloud bank.
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Also called absolute ceiling. the maximum altitude at which a particular aircraft can operate under specified conditions.
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Meteorology. the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky.
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a lining applied for structural reasons to a framework, especially in the interior surfaces of a ship or boat.
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Also called ceiling piece. Theater. the ceiling or top of an interior set, made of cloth, a flat, or two or more flats hinged together.
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the act or work of a person who makes or finishes a ceiling.
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vaulting, as in a medieval church.
idioms
noun
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the inner upper surface of a room
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an upper limit, such as one set by regulation on prices or wages
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( as modifier )
ceiling prices
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the upper altitude to which an aircraft can climb measured under specified conditions See also service ceiling absolute ceiling
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meteorol the highest level in the atmosphere from which the earth's surface is visible at a particular time, usually the base of a cloud layer
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a wooden or metal surface fixed to the interior frames of a vessel for rigidity
Other Word Forms
- ceilinged adjective
- subceiling noun
- unceilinged adjective
- underceiling noun
Etymology
Origin of ceiling
1350–1400, ceiling for def. 7; Middle English; ceil, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They are in a building with wooden ceiling beams, in an area that appears to be partitioned off with black curtains, with at least one security agent on the perimeter.
From Barron's
Iona is perched on a table by a windowsill, stapling albums to the ceiling as decor to liven up the record store she runs — not that the place needs much livening-up, considering Iona’s look.
From Salon
Because the client isn’t worried about hitting the estate-tax exemption ceiling, he used an in-kind distribution, bringing the Apple stock back to his estate and put in $1 million of another asset.
From Barron's
Leah told of beds lifted, “entirely from the floor, almost to the ceiling.”
From Literature
They point to past experience of pay deals that break through the ceiling imposed by finance secretaries leading to rapid and sometimes painful revised budgets during the financial year.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
