noun
1.
one of a series of rows or ranks rising one behind or above another, as of seats in an amphitheater, boxes in a theater, guns in a man-of-war, or oars in an ancient galley.
2.
one of a number of galleries, as in a theater.
3.
a layer; level; stratum: The wedding cake had six tiers. All three tiers of the firm's management now report to one director.
4.
Australian. a mountain range.
verb (used with object)
5.
to arrange in tiers.
00:10
Tier
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
verb (used without object)
6.
to rise in tiers.
Origin:
1560–70; earlier also tire, tyre, teare < Middle French, Old French tire, tiere order, row, rank < Germanic; compare Old English, Old Saxon tīr, Old High German zēri glory, adornment
1560–70; earlier also tire, tyre, teare < Middle French, Old French tire, tiere order, row, rank < Germanic; compare Old English, Old Saxon tīr, Old High German zēri glory, adornment
Dictionary.com Unabridged
ər
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To tier
Collins
World English Dictionary
tier1 (tɪə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | one of a set of rows placed one above and behind the other, such as theatre seats |
| 2. | a. a layer or level |
| b. (in combination): a three-tier cake | |
| 3. | a rank, order, or row |
| —vb | |
| 4. | to be or arrange in tiers |
| [C16: from Old French tire rank, of Germanic origin; compare Old English tīr embellishment] | |
| tier2 (ˈtaɪə) | |
| —n | |
| a person or thing that ties | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tier
"row, rank, range," 1569, from M.Fr. tire, from O.Fr. tire "rank, sequence, order" (c.1210), probably from tirer "to draw, draw out" (see tirade). Some suggests the O.Fr. noun is from a Gmc. source akin to O.H.G. ziari, Ger. Zier "adornment," O.E. tir "glory, honor."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
All new jobs will be entry-level jobs at the second-tier wage.
But they have had the unintended effect of creating a two-tier system, full of duplication and contradictions.
Coins have been rearranged and spread out on the lower tier.
Rice officials were intrigued by the possibility of acquiring a top-tier medical school without the expense of building one.
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