tiered
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tiered
Explanation
Something that is arranged in a series of levels or layers is tiered. Towering wedding cakes are often tiered, with the smallest layer at the very top. Stadium or theater seating is tiered — each row of seats is placed slightly above the row in front of it, so that people sitting in the back can see over the heads of the audience members in front. Skirts and dresses sometimes have tiered ruffles, each layer a bit higher than the one beneath it. The adjective tiered comes from tier, or "row," from the Old French tire, "rank or sequence."
Vocabulary lists containing tiered
100 Sideways Miles
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"Novio Boy: Scene 7, Part 1" and "Oranges"
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It's Kind of a Funny Story
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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.
The tiered tax, with rates from 0.5% to 4%, is projected to generate $500 million annually for New York City.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
The memorial itself holds a "tiered system of commemoration", says Korean research company SI Analytics.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
The New York settlement would funnel funds into a survivor trust and allow individual compensation to be determined through tiered evaluations, with reported averages varying widely depending on severity and documentation.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
She supports expanding clean transit options, incentivizing employers to adopt flexible work policies to reduce commute emissions, deploying smart traffic technology and giving small businesses tiered time lines and tax credits to transition.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Sophia skips over to a cart of tiered vials.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
