tiling

tiling — verb

1. to put flat pieces of baked clay, stone, or other hard material onto a wall, flo

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to put flat pieces of baked clay, stone, or other hard material onto a wall, floor, or roof to create a hard-wearing decorative surface

Example

Tamar is tiling the kitchen backsplash with small blue ceramic squares.

present continuous: be tiling [surface] with [material]

Caleb learned the basics of tiling a bathroom floor from his uncle.

gerund after preposition: of tiling

Common collocations
  • tile a floor
  • tile a wall
  • tile a roof
  • tile a bathroom
  • tile with ceramic
  • tile with mosaic
  • tile with stone
Synonyms
  • pave

    used for outdoor surfaces like paths and roads, not walls or roofs

  • flag

    specifically for laying flat stone slabs, less common in everyday language

  • slate

    refers to covering with a specific type of stone tile, often roofs

Grammar Patterns

tile + [surface]

be tiling + [surface]

spend [time] + tiling + [surface]

Usage Note

Commonly used in continuous tenses (be tiling) or as a gerund after prepositions (before tiling, after tiling) and verbs of completing or spending time (finish tiling, spent the day tiling).

Common Mistakes

We need to tiling the bathroom floor.
We need to tile the bathroom floor.
after 'need to', 'want to', or 'have to', use the base form 'tile', not the gerund 'tiling'.

tiling — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe covering a surface, but they apply to different materials and contexts. 'Tile' (the base of 'tiling') specifically means covering with ceramic, stone, or clay units — typical for bathrooms, kitchens, and roofs. 'Pave' is used for outdoor surfaces like roads, patios, and driveways, usually with asphalt, concrete slabs, or cobblestones. 'Clad' describes covering the outside of a building with a protective layer such as wood, metal panels, or brick — it emphasizes the exterior shell rather than the floor or interior wall finish. 'Floor' as a verb means to install a floor covering, most commonly wood, laminate, or vinyl. For example: 'They tiled the shower walls with Moroccan patterns,' versus 'They paved the driveway with gravel,' 'The architect clad the south wall in cedar,' and 'We floored the living room with oak planks.'

tile ↗pave ↗cladfloor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • tiling work
  • tiling job
  • tiling course
  • tiling business

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchAnglo-NormanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'tiling' comes from the verb 'tile', which entered English through Old French 'tuile' from Latin 'tegula' (a roof tile), ultimately derived from 'tegere' (to cover). The '-ing' suffix turns the verb into a noun that can refer either to the action itself or to the finished surface. English speakers have used 'tiling' since the 1300s.