ceiling
Other forms: ceilings
A ceiling is the upper surface of a room. If you’re lying on the floor, you’re staring up at the ceiling. If you’re lying on the ceiling, you’ll be lying on the floor again soon.
You may have heard the sky’s the limit — but in truth, the limit is the ceiling, both physically and metaphorically. The top of a room, but still under the roof, a ceiling is the point at which you can go no farther. You’ll find both helium balloons and hot tempers hitting it. In the workplace, if you aren't getting that promotion and can't understand why, you might have hit a "glass ceiling."
Definitions of ceiling
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the overhead upper surface of a covered space“he hated painting the ceiling”
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types:
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overhead
(nautical) the top surface of an enclosed space on a ship
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type of:
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upper surface
the side that is uppermost
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overhead
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an upper limit on what is allowed“he put a ceiling on the number of women who worked for him”
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types:
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glass ceiling
a ceiling based on attitudinal or organizational bias in the work force that prevents minorities and women from advancing to leadership positions
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type of:
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control
the economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.
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glass ceiling
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(meteorology) altitude of the lowest layer of clouds
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maximum altitude at which a plane can fly (under specified conditions)
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types:
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absolute ceiling
the maximum altitude at which an airplane can maintain horizontal flight
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combat ceiling, service ceiling
altitude above which a plane cannot climb faster than a given rate
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absolute ceiling
Pronunciation
US
/ˈsilɪŋ/
UK
/ˈsilɪŋ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘ceiling'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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