sky

[ skahy ]

noun

, plural skies.

1. the region of the clouds or the upper air; the upper atmosphere of the earth:

   airplanes in the sky; cloudy skies.

2. the heavens or firmament, appearing as a great arch or vault.
3. the supernal or celestial heaven:

   They looked to the sky for help.

4. the climate:

   the sunny skies of Italy.

5. Obsolete. a cloud.

verb (used with object)

, skied or skyed, sky·ing.

1. Informal. to raise, throw, or hit aloft or into the air.
2. Informal. to hang (a painting) high on a wall, above the line of vision.

verb phrase

1. Falconry. (of prey, when flushed) to fly straight upward.

sky

/ skaɪ /

noun

1. sometimes plural the apparently dome-shaped expanse extending upwards from the horizon that is characteristically blue or grey during the day, red in the evening, and black at night celestialempyrean
2. outer space, as seen from the earth
3. often plural weather, as described by the appearance of the upper air

   sunny skies

4. the source of divine power; heaven
5. informal.
   the highest level of attainment

   the sky's the limit

6. to the skies
   to the skies highly; extravagantly

verb

1. rowing to lift (the blade of an oar) too high before a stroke
2. informal.
   tr to hit (a ball) high in the air

sky

/ skī /

1. The atmosphere, as seen from a given point on the Earth's surface. The sky appears to be blue because the wavelengths associated with blue light are scattered more easily than those that are associated with the other colors.

Derived Forms

• ˈskyˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• skyless adjective
• skylike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sky¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old Norse skȳ “cloud,” cognate with Old English scēo “cloud”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sky¹

C13: from Old Norse skӯ; related to Old English scio cloud, Old Saxon skio, Old Norse skjār transparent skin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. out of a / the clear sky, without advance notice or warning; abruptly: Also out of athe clear blue sky.

   An old beau phoned her out of a clear sky.

2. to the skies, with lavishness or enthusiasm; extravagantly: Also to the sky.

   to praise someone to the skies.

More idioms and phrases containing sky

In addition to the idiom beginning with sky , also see blow sky-high ; out of a clear blue sky ; pie in the sky reach for the sky .

Example Sentences

Historical accounts of California summers describe months of smoky skies, but as a feature of the landscape, not a bug.

From ProPublica

When combined with additional data from other sky surveys, that alignment quantifies how much the matter in the universe is clumped together.

From Science News

With India’s aviation industry flying through troubled skies, sectors that are dependent on airlines have now started to feel the heat.

From Quartz

If you are working with smaller pieces, each contains less context for figuring out where it came from, especially in parts of the puzzle without any unique clues, like a blue sky.

From Singularity Hub 

Four years ago, three big tech companies had plans in the works to beam internet down to Earth from the sky, and each scenario sounded wilder than the next.

From Singularity Hub 

They looked up into the blue sky as the helicopters flew over in a lost man formation.

From The Daily Beast

Where these laser-like missiles are falling out of the sky onto a city and you have to stop each of them from hitting the targets?

From The Daily Beast

“At least it keeps the mosquitoes away,” one of my table-mates said, as we watched the swooshes of smoke waft into the Havana sky.

From The Daily Beast

Rob Marshall lets a sigh of relief erupt so loud it could be heard by giants in the sky.

From The Daily Beast

The sky is not the limit; beliefs still must be sincere and connected to some for-real source.

From The Daily Beast

It was the darkest hour of twilight, when there was just enough of gleam from the lurid sky, to shew the outline of objects.

From Project Gutenberg

He had seen through a powerful naval glass some figures standing erect and silhouetted against the sky on the parapet.

From Project Gutenberg

If it should ever be my lot to take the Long Trail at short notice, I hope it will be under a blue sky and a blazing sun.

From Project Gutenberg

The storm, however, was over; the moon and stars were shining in a clear sky, and the aurora was dancing merrily.

From Project Gutenberg

We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.

From Project Gutenberg