ceiling

[ see-ling ]

noun

1. the overhead interior surface of a room.
2. 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.
3. Aeronautics.
   1. 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.
   2. Also called absolute ceiling. the maximum altitude at which a particular aircraft can operate under specified conditions.
4. Meteorology. the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky.
5. a lining applied for structural reasons to a framework, especially in the interior surfaces of a ship or boat.
6. 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.
7. the act or work of a person who makes or finishes a ceiling.
8. vaulting, as in a medieval church.

ceiling

/ ˈsiːlɪŋ /

noun

1. the inner upper surface of a room
2. 1. an upper limit, such as one set by regulation on prices or wages
   2. ( as modifier )

      ceiling prices

3. the upper altitude to which an aircraft can climb measured under specified conditions See also service ceiling absolute ceiling
4. 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
5. a wooden or metal surface fixed to the interior frames of a vessel for rigidity

Other Words From

• ceil·inged adjective
• sub·ceil·ing noun
• un·ceil·inged adjective
• un·der·ceil·ing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceiling¹

1350–1400, ceiling fordef 7; Middle English; ceil, -ing ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceiling¹

C14: of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit the ceiling, Informal. to become enraged:

   When he saw the amount of the bill, he hit the ceiling.

More idioms and phrases containing ceiling

see glass ceiling ; hit the ceiling .

Example Sentences

The Prices were motivated by “a funny version of feminism, where the glass ceiling is whether or not you’re allowed to shoot a gun at policeman,” Zetumer said.

From Los Angeles Times

But Conservative peer Brady said planned "extreme redistribution" would "replace our brilliant but brutal meritocracy with the likelihood of a closed shop where survival not aspiration becomes a ceiling".

From BBC

During the day, Zoox riders can view the sky through the sunroof, while at night the ceiling is illuminated with small, twinkling lights à la a starry sky.

From Los Angeles Times

By indicting corporate and finance capitalism, I went farther than Brooks, an entertaining celebrant of corporate consumer marketing and a scourge of neoliberals who make great shows of rectifying turbo capitalism's brutalities with “glass ceiling” gestures.

From Salon

What’s an upside-down car hanging from the ceiling got to do with anything?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beam
• plaster
• roof