ceilingcei‧ling /ˈsiːlɪŋ/ ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable] 
rooms with high ceilings a light hanging from the ceiling2the largest number or amount of something that is officially allowedceiling of a public spending ceiling of £240 billionimpose/set/put a ceiling (on something) The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars.raise/lower the ceiling (on something)3 technical the greatest height an aircraft can fly at or the level of the clouds → glass ceiling
WORD ORIGINceiling
Origin:
1500-1600 ceil ‘to provide with a ceiling’ (16-20 centuries), probably from Latin caelare ‘to cut into a surface’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Congress was once again considering raising the federal debt ceiling.
- Import quotas may rise from the present ceiling of 18.5 million to 20 million.
- Millions of federal employees may not receive paychecks unless Congress raises the debt ceiling.
- There is a ceiling on the amount of foreign investment allowed in any company in the country.
- And heaped up in one corner, almost touching the ceiling, was a huge pile of junk.
- Benny found herself in a rock-walled tunnel, with bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling at regular intervals.
- But the tour revealed that the building has retained many treasures from its past: Its cathedral ceilings still have rounded corners.
- Genius is Michelangelo at work on the Sistine ceiling.
- The ossuary inside the sanctuary is square with a vaulted ceiling.
- The walls and ceilings were black, and the sole illumination was provided by black candles set in empty cat food cans.
- The wooden beams and ceiling were crackling in the extreme heat.
- Windows were shattered and ceilings cracked in several nearby towns.
THESAURUS
the highest number, speed, temperature etc that is allowed by a law or rule: · He borrowed money up to the limit that the bank allowed.· The speed limit is 65 m.p.h.· There’s no limit on the amount of money that may be brought into the US.· Pollution levels are over the official limit.· Some families set limits on how much they spend on each other’s Christmas present.
rules or laws that strictly control what you are allowed to do: · Travel restrictions might reduce the spread of the disease.· Unions are pressing for restrictions on steel imports from Japan.· Because of restrictions on reporting, newspapers were not allowed to cover the story.· New restrictions have been imposed on immigration.
limits on what a person or thing is able to do – used especially when you would like to be able to do more: · The president was unwilling to accept limitations on his power.· the limitations of the computer system· Hikers should know their physical limitations and not take unnecessary risks.
facts or conditions that limit what you can do, for example not having enough time, money etc: · Financial constraints are forcing many people in their twenties to live with their parents.· The last part of the show had to be cut because of time constraints.· The constraints of prison life are sometimes too much for people to bear.
the largest number or amount that is possible, normal, or allowed: · Classes have a maximum of twenty students.· What’s the maximum you can earn before you have to pay tax?
the smallest number or amount that is possible or allowed: · He was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison.· Our aim is to reduce the number of accidents to an absolute minimum.
the largest number or amount of something that is officially allowed: · There is a ceiling on the amount of foreign investment.· Import quotas may rise from the present ceiling of 18.5 million to 20 million.· Congress was once again considering raising the federal debt ceiling.
Longman Language Activatorthe largest amount that is allowed or possible the highest number, speed, temperature etc that is allowed by a law or rule: · He borrowed money up to the limit that the bank allowed.limit on: · There's no limit on the amount of money that may be brought into the US.time/age/speed limit: · The Interstate speed limit is 65 m.p.h.over/above the limit: · Pollution levels in the water were found to be over the official limit.set a limit (=decide what a limit will be): · Some families set limits on how much they spend on each other's Christmas present.
the maximum number or amount is the largest number or amount that is possible, normal, or allowed: · After leaving Calais, the train soon reaches its maximum speed of 300 kph.· Forty is the maximum number of passengers this bus is allowed to carry.· Ditikins faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
the largest amount or number of something: the most (that): · He likes to gamble, but the most he ever won was $1000.· Two cakes is the most that I can bake in my oven at one time.at most/at the most (=as the largest amount possible or allowed): · A new tyre would cost £70 at the very most.
the largest amount of something that is allowed within a range: · The explosion had a force that was close to the upper limit allowed by nuclear arms treaties.upper limit on: · The Pentagon did not set an upper limit on troop deployments during the war.
the largest number or amount of something that is officially allowed - use this especially in business: · Import quotas may rise from the present ceiling of 18.5 million to 20 million.ceiling on: · There is a ceiling on the amount of foreign investment allowed in any company in the country.debt ceiling (=the largest amount that a country is allowed to owe): · Congress was once again considering raising the federal debt ceiling.
the largest amount or number that is allowed before something stops happening, has an effect etc: · The machine's cut-off point is 1000 volts, which is the safety maximum.· Science has pushed back the cut-off point at which a woman can no longer bear children.
WORD SETSaerial, adjectiveaero-, prefixaerobatics, nounaerodrome, nounaeronautics, nounairborne, adjectiveaircraft, nounaircrew, nounairfare, nounairfield, nounairline, nounairliner, nounair pocket, nounairport, nounairship, nounairsick, adjectiveairspace, nounairspeed, nounairstrip, nounair terminal, nounair traffic controller, nounairway, nounairworthy, adjectivealtimeter, nounapron, nounautomatic pilot, nounautopilot, nounaviation, nounaviator, nounballast, nounballoon, nounballooning, nounbank, verbbarrage balloon, nounbiplane, nounblack box, nounblimp, nounboarding card, nounboarding pass, nounbulkhead, nounbusiness class, nounbuzz, verbcabin, nouncaptain, nouncarousel, nounceiling, nouncharter flight, nouncheck-in, nounchock, nounchopper, nounchute, nounclub class, nouncontrail, nouncontrol tower, nounco-pilot, nouncowling, nouncraft, nouncrash landing, noundeparture lounge, noundepartures board, noundirigible, noundisembark, verbdive, verbeconomy class, nouneject, verbejector seat, nounfin, nounflap, nounflier, nounflight, nounflight attendant, nounflight deck, nounflight path, nounflight recorder, nounflight simulator, nounfly, verbflyby, nounflyer, nounflying, nounflypast, nounfree fall, nounfuselage, noungate, nounglider, noungliding, noungondola, nounground, verbground control, nounground crew, nounground staff, nounhangar, nounhang-glider, nounhang-gliding, nounhelicopter, nounhelicopter pad, nounheliport, nounhijacking, nounholding pattern, nounhot-air balloon, nounhydroplane, nouninbound, adjectivein-flight, adjectiveinstrument panel, nounjet, nounjet engine, nounjet-propelled, adjectivejet propulsion, nounjoystick, nounjumbo jet, nounjump jet, nounland, verblanding gear, nounlanding strip, nounlayover, nounlift, nounlight aircraft, nounlounge, nounlow-flying, adjectivemicrolight, nounmonoplane, nounnavigation, nounno-fly zone, nounnose, nounnosedive, nounnosedive, verboverfly, verbparachute, nounparachute, verbparachutist, nounpilot, nounpilot, verbpitch, nounpitch, verbplane, nounplot, verbpod, nounpressurized, adjectiveprop, nounpropeller, nounradio beacon, nounrefuel, verbripcord, nounroll, verbroll, nounrotor, nounrudder, nounrunway, nounseaplane, nounseat belt, nounshort-haul, adjectiveski plane, nounskycap, nounsonic boom, nounspoiler, nounsteward, nounstewardess, nounstrut, nounswept-back, adjectiveswoop, verbtail, nountailspin, nountake-off, nountaxi, verbterminal, nountest pilot, nounthrust, nountouchdown, nountransit lounge, nountransport plane, nounturbojet, nounturboprop, nountwin-engined, adjectiveundercarriage, nounupgrade, verbvapour trail, nounwheel, verbwindsock, nounwind tunnel, nounwing, nounwingspan, nounwingtip, nounzeppelin, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIESCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars.· An old pub with beamed ceilings, smoke-blackened, and a log fire crackling and spitting inside a deep alcove.· The dining room has a beamed ceiling and a wood-burning stove within a stone fireplace.· It has been sympathetically modernised and restored whilst retaining beamed ceilings and open fires in the lounge bar and television lounge.· The kitchen was a great echoing place, with high beamed ceilings and quarry stone floor.· Beyond was a completely cylindrical room, its beamed ceiling some nine feet high.
· Clusters of tall, willowy bamboos rose out of ten pale-pink marble planters and almost touched the high triple-domed ceiling.· Fluorescent lighting was now tucked up against the high ceilings, throwing down illumination too diffuse to satisfy.· Into a different room now. High, high ceilings, like in a cathedral - dim, dusty, bare.· It was a pleasant place, with high ceilings where fans swatted the air.· High, high ceilings, like in a cathedral - dim, dusty, bare.· I had expected something like the Central Y, with high ceilings, impressive stone pillars, and marbled stairs.· In the interior of houses, high ceilings became the rule to keep rising hot air a comfortable distance from dwellers.
· A deep pelmet in a room with a low ceiling can have a heavy effect, increasing the problem.· The fortieth floor had low ceilings, no windows, and the charm of an engine room.· The main living rooms downstairs have low ceilings and are wood beamed.· The room had roughly plastered walls and a low ceiling supported on enormous joists trimmed out of whole trees.· They have a low, vaulted ceiling and damp, grimy walls which run with water when it rains.· The interior was certainly unusual with its enclosed pews, low barrel ceiling, and tiny altar.· Oak beams, low ceilings, roses round the door.· Panelled from floor to cornice in walnut, it has the lowest ceiling of all the main rooms.
· Although requiring modernisation the state rooms are still intact including their painted ceilings.· On the top floor ahead of you, you may be able to see some painted ceilings of astrological subjects.· Whilst a mirror can allow a clear view of a painted ceiling, it can none the less be disorientating and disquieting.
· On the top floor the bedrooms had pretty sloping ceilings and dormer windows peering out under eyelid gables.· She did not go to the room with the twin beds but to the single room with the sloping ceiling.· He raised his arm and touched the sloping ceiling above his head.· Sloping solution: That awkward sloping ceiling normally presents a problem, but there is a solution in these Sliderobes fitted wardrobes.· She stood in the doorway at the end of the corridor, looking into a small polygonal room with a sloping ceiling.· He threw himself down on the huge old bed and stared at the sloping timber ceiling.· It was small, with a sloping ceiling and a pair of windows set in deep embrasures.· Top floor rooms may have a sloping ceiling.
· The ground floor, now the cellar, has retained its original three rooms with vaulted ceilings.· The ossuary inside the sanctuary is square with a vaulted ceiling.· They have a low, vaulted ceiling and damp, grimy walls which run with water when it rains.
· The wooden beams and ceiling were crackling in the extreme heat.
NOUN· A ceiling fan can help ventilation but can also incorporate lighting and be decorative.· It was pitch dark everywhere, and the whirr of the ceiling fan seemed to fill the silent bedroom.· Christina entered the hallway and switched on the ceiling fan.· Swimming pool Bar Lounge Restaurant All rooms have balcony, ceiling fan and private facilities.
· We've got to recognise that many women in our organisation, for example, perceive a glass ceiling.· The same folks who brought you mass layoffs and glass ceilings?· Just as age factors can produce glass barriers, women experience glass ceilings.· Steel columns support the vaulted, domed glass ceilings.· In the games room, supported by slate and iron pillars, a tracery of iron girders held the low glass ceiling.· The glass ceiling does not exist because they don't let it.
· In most households, small areas of the ceiling joists within the roof void are often boarded over to provide storage space.· The existing ceiling joists must also be fire-protected with an overlay of glass fibre insulation, and new joists installed.· The ceiling joists sit on the top of this wall.· In either case, you will have to find the ceiling joists and mark their positions on the wall.
· Tom had swept the room clean and had fixed a lamp to a hook on the white plaster ceiling.· Inside the quality finishes include cherry wood panelling, decorative plaster ceilings and marble floors.· As well as the painted decoration, the Eastons are fortunate in also having two good plaster ceilings.
· Option 1 is to connect the supply cable as a spur to an existing loop-in ceiling rose or junction box.· In loop-in wiring, the circuit cables go direct to the ceiling roses, and all the connections are made there.
VERB· Fragments of dried earth fell from the ceiling.· I never knew she was going to fall through the bloody ceiling and get knocked soft.· Nervously, he stepped into the room and walked around, crunching the broken plaster that had fallen from the crumbling ceiling.· The lantern swung on the beam, the glasses jumped on the table, and bits of earth fell from the ceiling.
· Her memories were indoor memories, fixed by ceilings and plastered white walls.
· Katherine lay on the bed which had become hers and gazed blankly at the ceiling.· Robins slightly endeared herself to me by going a little pink and gazing at the ceiling.· She gazed at the ceiling, feeling her heart beat and breathing slowing to normal, her body quietening.· She gazed up at the ceiling with its painted blue flowers and wondered what Arnie was doing in Bradford.· Maurin was gazing at the ceiling.· But others looked as though they were desperately trying to find a way out, gazing to the ceiling deep in thought.· The two women remained motionless, gazing up at the ceiling as if to trace the source and direction of the footsteps.
· Benny found herself in a rock-walled tunnel, with bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling at regular intervals.· Chamber 7e is dominated by a man-size iron cage which hangs from a ceiling hook.· Most impressive, though, was what was hanging from the ceiling directly above the altar stone.
· One tankard hit the ceiling, another broke a window.· The turbulence was such that his head hit the ceiling and his headset came off and fell to the floor.
· And snowflakes were huge beautiful things that were hung from the ceilings on bits of thread.· Shirts and sheets they hung from the ceiling, draping them on lines and hangers.· In the corner a rope hung down from the ceiling.· Her elbows had been lashed together and she hung from the ceiling like a snared sparrow.· Old tattered flags hung from the ceiling, their patterns long since faded into the air.· Bunches of herbs and pot and saucepan racks can be hung from the ceiling.· All the furniture in it hung from the ceiling by long mouldy ropes and did not quite touch the ground.· Most, if not all, scenery is hung from the ceiling by the flies department.
· These have to be settled, if necessary, by a process of reconciliation whereby the budget committees impose specific ceilings.· Obviously the available time imposes an upper ceiling on this game, for there can be only one K per generation.
· They lie there a minute, looking up at the ceiling.· He looked up at the ceiling.· She was biting her lip and looking at the ceiling, as if willing herself awake.· As she and Adam left, Buzz turned back to see Elinor silently looking at the ceiling.· She pulled off her clothes and left them in a heap, then lay on top of the covers looking up at the ceiling.· Instead, she looked up to the ceiling from where she got quite a lot of her inspiration.· She was lying on her bed, looking up at the ceiling, Smudge and Whisky curled on her stomach.· Urquhart looked to the ceiling in a gesture of comic despair.
· Like Michelangelo we can paint the ceilings of the Sistine Chapels of the mind.· For $ 190, you get nice suites with painted timber ceilings, breakfast included.
· Flex your feet so your toes are pointed to the ceiling.· Then think of the knees pointing up to the ceiling.
· Congress was frantically trying to complete a bill raising the federal debt ceiling in time for President Bush to sign today.· He did not raise the ceiling on mortgage-interest relief, which Mrs Thatcher had pressed him to do.· Many are reluctant to do so; they harbour hopes that the government will raise the 10% ceiling.· I do not believe that the Commissioners justified their proposal to raise the ceiling.
· They reach almost to the ceiling.· The light of the lamp did not reach as far as the high ceiling, and the fire had burned low.· The bedhead was florid and overblown, its shiny walnut carvings reaching almost to the ceiling.· Do not stand on chairs to reach something at ceiling level.
· We know the MiG-2s already set a ceiling record of 120,000 feet.· It has few exemptions, though it sets annual ceilings on how much individual patients pay.· The regulations set a ceiling of 15 parts per billion.· The Chancellor has set a ceiling of £250,000.· So they risk losing most potential economic growth if a climate treaty sets ceilings on emissions.· We will issue factories and power stations with licences setting a ceiling on permitted emissions of pollutants.· It was a long windowless studio with neon strip-lighting set into the ceiling.
· Her greenish eyes were wide open, staring sightless at the ceiling.· Then you usually lie there just staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that could go wrong.· He was staring at the ceiling.· Sara stared at her bedroom ceiling.· Fulke slouched, staring up at the ceiling.· He wandered off then came back to lie on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.· Evelyn lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling.· She lay on her back staring up at the ceiling and her thoughts immediately flashed back to Luke and last night.
· The light, a single bulb in an ethnic basket, was suspended from the ceiling and lit just the table.· He gaped round the small room, realizing that he was suspended from a ceiling only fifteen feet high.
· I have these dreams, too, and in them my bedroom is a light-filled suite with vaulted ceilings.· The vaulted ceilings are hand painted.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1the inner surface of the top part of a room: - He hit the roof when the pair left to set up home in a bedsit.
- One tankard hit the ceiling, another broke a window.
- The shell hit the roof of the building and made a mess of the inside of the building.
- The turbulence was such that his head hit the ceiling and his headset came off and fell to the floor.
- Then, he proceeded to hit the ceiling.
- Top editors hit the roof Maybe one picture, but a page full of pictures of black women?
- Two shells hit the roof and one exploded in the corridor during the night.
- What would Old Chao do if he saw them, hit the roof on his way into outer space?
rooms with high ceilings a light hanging from the ceiling2the largest number or amount of something that is officially allowedceiling of a public spending ceiling of £240 billionimpose/set/put a ceiling (on something) The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars.raise/lower the ceiling (on something)3 technical the greatest height an aircraft can fly at or the level of the clouds → glass ceiling