tile

The word “tile” means a thin, flat slab of material such as clay, stone, or ceramic, used to cover roofs, floors, or walls. In plain terms, a flat covering piece for roofs, floors, or walls, or a game piece in games like Scrabble.

“Tile” is pronounced tyl (/ˈtaɪ.əl/ in IPA).

Here is “tile” used in a sentence: “A few roof tiles blew off in the storm.”

Depending on how it is used, “tile” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “tile” comes from Latin. From Old English tigele, ultimately from Latin tēgula, meaning "roof tile," related to a root meaning "to cover.".

“Tile” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Tile” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a thin, flat slab of material such as clay, stone, or ceramic, used to cover roofs, floors, or walls.

A tile is a thin, flat piece of material such as clay, stone, or ceramic used to cover roofs, floors, or walls, while a slab is generally a thicker, heavier flat piece of material like stone or concrete. Tiles are typically smaller and designed for surface covering, whereas slabs are often used as structural or paving elements.

A tile used in building refers to a thin slab covering roofs, floors, or walls, while a tile in games such as dominoes, Scrabble, or mahjong is a small flat piece used for play. Both senses share the idea of a small flat object, but one is decorative or structural and the other is a game piece.

To tile a surface means to cover it with tiles, such as tiling a bathroom floor or a kitchen wall. The verb use of tile describes the action of installing tiles rather than the tiles themselves.