ceiling

5 definitions • 11 examples

the inside surface of a room that you can see when you look above you

an upper limit, usually relating to money:

They have imposed/set a ceiling on pay rises.

the upper surface of a room that you see when you look above you:

The kitchen ceiling needs painting.

A ceiling is also an upper limit put on something that varies:

There is a 10% ceiling on rent increases.

the highest level, number, or amount something is allowed to reach:

Before the bidding started he had set himself a ceiling price beyond which he would not go.

a debt/spending/production ceiling They agreed on a spending ceiling over the next five years of between 1.2% to 1.3%.

the ceiling on sth The good news is that the ceiling on teachers' earnings has been removed.

the ceiling for sth We will keep within the ceiling for public spending and do better if we can.

place/put a ceiling on sth Ceilings are placed on interest rates by the government to provide firms with cheap capital.

set/impose a ceiling The staff ceiling was originally set at 35 but has slowly risen to 50.

reach/exceed a ceiling The $7.4 trillion national debt ceiling is likely to be reached in the next few days.

lower/raise a ceiling The budget restrictions, signed into law in July, lowered the ceiling on how much districts' budgets can grow annually.