Meanings
ceiling1
nounceiling (plural ceilings)
plural ceilings
- The overhead closure of a room.
The dining room had an ornate ceiling.
- The upper limit of an object or action.
[…] and only at Barnet did Tappin give Empire of India a burst to bring us up to the 60 m.p.h. speed ceiling of the London area.
1956 December 28, W. J. Alcock, “On the Footplate of the "Elizabethan"”, in Railway Magazine, page 8211 more example
Market forces naturally move the economy to the equilibrium, and the price ceiling has no effect on the price or the quantity sold.
2008, N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, volume 1, page 114 - aeronauticsThe highest altitude at which an aircraft can safely maintain flight.
- climatologyThe measurement of visible distance from ground or sea level to an overcast cloud cover; under a clear sky, the ceiling measurement is identified as "unlimited."
Even though it was cloudy, there was still enough ceiling for the Blue Angels to perform a great show.
- mathematicsThe smallest integer greater than or equal to a given number.
The ceiling of 4.5 is 5; the ceiling of −4.5 is −4.
- nauticalThe inner planking of a vessel.
- businessThe maximum permitted level in a financial transaction.
- architectureThe overhead interior surface that covers the upper limits of a room.
ceiling2
verb
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of ceil
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
ceiling · noun
- Old Frenchceler“to conceal”
- Middle Englishceling“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”
- Englishceiling
From Middle English celing (“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”), from celen (“to cover or panel walls”) (from Old French celer (“to conceal”)) + -ing (gerund-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ceil + -ing.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans plafon
- plafonupper limit of room
Ancient Greek ὀροφή
- ὀροφή (orophḗ)upper limit of room
Arabic سَقْف
- سَقْف (saqf)upper limit of room
Basque sabai
- sabaiupper limit of room
Bengali ছাদ
- ছাদ (chad)upper limit of room
Bulgarian тава́н, го́рна гра́ница
- тава́н (taván)upper limit of room
- го́рна гра́ница (górna gránica)upper limit of an object or action
- тава́н (taván)altitude
Catalan sostre
- sostreupper limit of room
Chinese Cantonese 天花板
- 天花板 (tin¹ faa¹ baan²)upper limit of room
Chinese Mandarin 天花板, 天棚
- 天花板 (tiānhuābǎn)upper limit of room
- 天棚 (tiānpéng)upper limit of room
Czech strop, horní celá část
- stropupper limit of room
- horní celá částsmallest integer
Danish loft
- loftupper limit of room
Dutch plafond, zoldering
- plafondupper limit of room
- zolderingupper limit of room
Esperanto plafono
- plafonoupper limit of room
Estonian lagi
- lagiupper limit of room
Finnish katto, sisäkatto
- kattoupper limit of room
- sisäkattoupper limit of room
- kattoupper limit of an object or action
- lakikorkeusaltitude
- ylös pyöristetty lukusmallest integer
- sisälankutusinner planking of a vessel
- karneerausinner planking of a vessel
French plafond, plafond
- plafondupper limit of room
- plafondupper limit of an object or action
- partie entière par excèssmallest integer
German Decke, Plafond
- Deckeupper limit of room
- Plafondupper limit of room
- Zimmerdeckeupper limit of room
- Deckeupper limit of an object or action
- Grenzeupper limit of an object or action
- Höchstgrenzeupper limit of an object or action
- Höchstmaßupper limit of an object or action
- Obergrenzeupper limit of an object or action
- Plafondupper limit of an object or action
- (maximale) Gipfelhöhealtitude
- Innenbeplankunginner planking of a vessel
- Wegerunginner planking of a vessel
Greek οροφή, ταβάνι
- οροφή (orofí)upper limit of room
- ταβάνι (taváni)upper limit of room
- πλαφόν (plafón)upper limit of an object or action
- υψόμετρο (ypsómetro)altitude
Hebrew תִּקְרָה
- תִּקְרָה (tik'ráh)upper limit of room
Hindi छत
- छत (chat)upper limit of room
Hungarian mennyezet, plafon
- mennyezetupper limit of room
- plafonupper limit of room
- plafonupper limit of an object or action
Icelandic loft
- loftupper limit of room
Indonesian langit-langit, plafon
- langit-langitupper limit of room
- plafonupper limit of room
- plafonupper limit of an object or action
- paguupper limit of an object or action
Irish síleáil
- síleáilupper limit of room
Italian soffitto
- soffittoupper limit of room
Japanese 天井, 天井関数
- 天井 (tenjō)upper limit of room
- 天井関数 (tenjō kansū)smallest integer
Korean 천장
- 천장 (cheonjang)upper limit of room
Latin lacunar
- lacunarupper limit of room
Latvian griesti
- griestiupper limit of room
Lithuanian lubos
- lubosupper limit of room
Malay siling
- silingupper limit of room
Norwegian tak
- taksmallest integer
Norwegian Bokmål himling, tak
- himlingupper limit of room
- takupper limit of room
- loftupper limit of room
Polish sufit, strop
- sufitupper limit of room
- stropupper limit of room
- pułapupper limit of an object or action
- pułapaltitude
- sufitsmallest integer
Portuguese teto, teto
- tetoupper limit of room
- tetoaltitude
Romanian plafon, tavan
- plafonupper limit of room
- tavanupper limit of room
Russian потоло́к, потоло́к
- потоло́к (potolók)upper limit of room
- потоло́к (potolók)altitude
- потоло́к (potolók)smallest integer
Scottish Gaelic mullach
- mullachupper limit of room
Slovak strop
- stropupper limit of room
Spanish techo, cielorraso
- techoupper limit of room
- cielorrasoupper limit of room
- cielo rasoupper limit of room
- plafónupper limit of room
- techoaltitude
Swahili dari
- dariupper limit of room
Swedish tak, innertak
- takupper limit of room
- innertakupper limit of room
- takupper limit of an object or action
- taksmallest integer
Tagalog kisame
- kisameupper limit of room
Tamil உட்கூரை
- உட்கூரை (uṭkūrai)upper limit of room
Thai เพดาน
- เพดาน (pee-daan)upper limit of room
Turkish tavan
- tavanupper limit of room
Ukrainian сте́ля
- сте́ля (stélja)upper limit of room
Urdu چَھت, سَقْف
- چَھت (chat)upper limit of room
- سَقْف (saqf)upper limit of room
Vietnamese trần, trần nhà
- trầnupper limit of room
- trần nhàupper limit of room
Welsh nenfwd, nenfydau
- nenfwdupper limit of room
- nenfydauupper limit of room
Yiddish סופֿיט, סטעליע
- סופֿיט (sufit)upper limit of room
- סטעליע (stelye)upper limit of room
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ceiling
feelingdealinghealingappealingrevealingstealingsealingwheelingpeelingkneelingrepealingreelingconcealingElingheelingpealingglass ceilingshielingsinking feeling
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Cite this entry
APA
ceiling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceiling
MLA
“ceiling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceiling. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ceiling,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceiling.
Source: ceiling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.