ceiling

UK: /ˈsiːlɪŋ/ US: /ˈsilɪŋ/ ,(sē′ling)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ceil•ing /ˈsilɪŋ/   n. [countable]

1. Building the overhead inside surface of a room.
2. Business an upper limit on an amount, as the amount of money that can be spent, etc.:
   proposed putting a ceiling on government spending.
3. Meteorology the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky:
   The ceiling was low and visibility poor.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ceil•ing  (sē′ling), n. 

1. Building the overhead interior surface of a room.
2. Business the top limit imposed by law on the amount of money that can be charged or spent or the quantity of goods that can be produced or sold.
3. Aeronautics
   • the maximum altitude from which the earth can be seen on a particular day, usually equal to the distance between the earth and the base of the lowest cloud bank.
   • Also called absolute ceiling. the maximum altitude at which a particular aircraft can operate under specified conditions.
4. Meteorology the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky.
5. Nautical, Naval Terms a lining applied for structural reasons to a framework, esp. in the interior surfaces of a ship or boat.
6. Show Business Also called ceil′ing piece′. [Theat.] the ceiling or top of an interior set, made of cloth, a flat, or two or more flats hinged together.
7. Building the act or work of a person who makes or finishes a ceiling.
8. vaulting, as in a medieval church.
9. Idioms hit the ceiling, [Informal.] to become enraged:
   When he saw the amount of the bill, he hit the ceiling.

• 1350–1400, for def. 7; Middle English; see ceil, -ing¹

ceil′inged, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ceiling / ˈsiːlɪŋ/ noun

1. the inner upper surface of a room
2. an upper limit, such as one set by regulation on prices or wages
3. the upper altitude to which an aircraft can climb measured under specified conditions
4. the highest level in the atmosphere from which the earth's surface is visible at a particular time, usually the base of a cloud layer

Etymology: 14th Century: of uncertain origin