ceiling

The word “ceiling” means the interior surface that forms the top of a room. In plain terms, the surface above your head in a room, or, more broadly, any upper limit on something.

“Ceiling” is pronounced SEE-lihng (/ˈsilɪŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “ceiling” used in a sentence: “Water stains spread across the bedroom ceiling after the leak.”

Words with a similar meaning to “ceiling” include ceil.

The opposite of “ceiling” — its antonyms — is floor.

“Ceiling” is a noun.

The word “ceiling” comes from Old French. From Middle English celing, related to an Old French word meaning "to conceal" — originally referring to the wall panelling as much as the overhead surface.

“Ceiling” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

A ceiling is the interior surface forming the top of a room, seen from inside, while a roof is the outer structure that covers a building from the top. You look up at a ceiling indoors, but the roof is what protects the building from the weather outside. The two are separate surfaces with a space often between them.

A ceiling is an upper limit on an amount or price, while a floor is a lower limit below which it cannot fall. A price ceiling caps how high a price may go, and a price floor sets the minimum. The two terms are opposites used to describe boundaries.