noun
ceiling
SEE-lihng
noun
1
The interior surface that forms the top of a room.
"Water stains spread across the bedroom ceiling after the leak."
2
An upper limit placed on an amount, price, or achievement.
"The government set a ceiling on rent increases."
"She feels like she's hit a ceiling in her career."
3
In mathematics, the smallest whole number that is greater than or equal to a given number.
"The ceiling of 4.2 is 5."
How to Use Ceiling
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe surface above your head in a room, or, more broadly, any upper limit on something.
Common pairings
hit a ceiling
glass ceiling
debt ceiling
high ceilings
Word Forms
ceilings plural
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Water stains spread across the bedroom _____ after the leak.
Etymology
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.