Standard Lemma guide

tier

noun · verb · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: tī'ə
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtaɪ.ə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: tī'ər
  • General-American: /ˈtaɪ.ɚ/
  • homophone: tire
  • homophone: tyre
  • rhymes with -aɪ.ə(ɹ)
  • UK: tî
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɪə/
  • US: tîr
  • General-American: /ˈtɪɚ/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)
  • homophone: tear (as in droplet from one's eye)
  • CMU ARPABET: T IY1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who ties (knots, etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something that ties.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A child's apron.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A row or range, especially one at a higher or lower level than another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A rank or grade; a stratum.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Stoke City were playing in the second tier of English football before being promoted to the Premier League.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A (typically forested) range of hills or mountains, especially in South Australia or Tasmania; a mountain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A horizontal row of panels within a comic strip.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To arrange in layers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To cascade in an overlapping sequence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To move (data) from one storage medium to another as an optimization, based on how frequently it is accessed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

one of two or more layers one atop another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • tier upon tier of huge casks
  • a three-tier wedding cake

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: layer, bed

12

noun

Meaning 12

something that is used for tying

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the sail is fastened to the yard with tiers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rope

13

noun

Meaning 13

a worker who ties something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tier up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: worker

14

noun

Meaning 14

any one of two or more competitors who tie one another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rival, challenger, competitor, competition, contender

15

noun

Meaning 15

a relative position or degree of value in a graded group

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • lumber of the highest grade

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grade, level

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rank

Narrower terms: biosafety level, A level, General Certificate of Secondary Education, GCSE, O level, college level

History

Etymology

From tie + -er.

From Middle French tier, from Old French tire (“rank, sequence, order, kind”), probably from tirer (“to draw, draw out”). Alternatively, from a Germanic source related to Middle English tir (“honour, glory, power, rule”), Old English tīr (“glory, honour, fame”), Old Norse tírr (“glory, honour, renown”).

Across languages

Translations

59 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: ниво (nivo) — layer or rank
  • Catalan: rang — layer or rank
  • Chinese Mandarin: 層 /层 (céng) — layer or rank
  • Chinese Mandarin: 排 (pái) — layer or rank
  • Chinese Mandarin: 行 (háng) — layer or rank
  • Danish: lag — layer or rank
  • Dutch: laag — layer or rank
  • Dutch: rang — layer or rank
  • Finnish: kerros — layer or rank
  • Finnish: taso — layer or rank
  • French: rang — layer or rank
  • German: Schicht — layer or rank
  • German: Rang — layer or rank
  • German: Etage — layer or rank
  • German: Ebene — layer or rank
  • German: Reihe — layer or rank
  • German: Sitzreihe — layer or rank
  • Hebrew: קוֹמָה — layer or rank
  • Hebrew: נִדְבָּךְ — layer or rank
  • Hebrew: שִׁכְבָה — layer or rank
  • Hungarian: szint — layer or rank
  • Hungarian: réteg — layer or rank
  • Hungarian: emelet — layer or rank
  • Hungarian: sor — layer or rank
  • Hungarian: üléssor — layer or rank
  • Hungarian: polcsor — layer or rank
  • Italian: strato — layer or rank
  • Italian: ripiano — layer or rank
  • Japanese: 層 (sō) — layer or rank
  • Japanese: 階層 (kaisō) — layer or rank
  • Japanese: 列 (retsu) — layer or rank
  • Japanese: 階 (kai) — layer or rank
  • Kazakh: қабат (qabat) — layer or rank
  • Māori: tānga — layer or rank
  • Middle English: stage — layer or rank
  • Plautdietsch: Schicht — layer or rank
  • Polish: warstwa — layer or rank
  • Polish: rząd (np. krzeseł) — layer or rank
  • Polish: kondygnacja — layer or rank
  • Polish: poziom — layer or rank
  • Portuguese: camada — layer or rank
  • Russian: я́рус (járus) — layer or rank
  • Russian: слой (sloj) — layer or rank
  • Russian: у́ровень (úrovenʹ) — layer or rank
  • Russian: ряд (rjad) — layer or rank
  • Russian: эта́ж (etáž) — layer or rank
  • Serbo-Croatian: етажа — layer or rank
  • Serbo-Croatian: etaža — layer or rank
  • Spanish: piso — layer or rank
  • Spanish: rango — layer or rank
  • Spanish: nivel — layer or rank
  • Spanish: categoría — layer or rank
  • Spanish: grado — layer or rank
  • Swedish: skikt — layer or rank
  • Swedish: lager — layer or rank
  • Turkish: tabaka — layer or rank
  • Vietnamese: tầng — layer or rank
  • Vietnamese: bậc — layer or rank
  • Vietnamese: thứ bậc — layer or rank