tier

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtir How to pronounce tier (audio)
Synonyms of tier
1
a
: a row, rank, or layer of articles
especially : one of two or more rows, levels, or ranks arranged one above another
b
: a group of political or geographic divisions that form a row across the map
the southern tier of states
2
: class, category

tier

2 of 3

verb

tiered; tiering; tiers

transitive verb

: to place or arrange in tiers

intransitive verb

: to rise in tiers

tier

3 of 3

noun (2)

ti·​er ˈtī(-ə)r How to pronounce tier (audio)
variants or tyer
: one that ties

Synonyms of tier

Relevance

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of tier in a Sentence

Noun (1) the bottom tier of entrants
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
And, in case the birds are hungry, the top tier also provides some grub. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026 Too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
Verb
Well, let’s try to tier the best teams by contender status, among this week’s 10 thoughts. — Brendan Marks, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026 Why not tier the incentives to achieve some deeper affordability? — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tier

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French tire rank, from Old French — more at attire

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1889, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1633, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tier was in 1569

Phrases Containing tier

Rhymes for tier

See All Rhymes for tier

Browse Nearby Words

Tiepolo
tier
tierable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tier. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

tier

1 of 3 noun
ˈti(ə)r How to pronounce tier (audio)
: a row, rank, or layer usually arranged in a series one above the other
tiered
ˈti(ə)rd
adjective

tier

2 of 3 verb
1
: to place or arrange in tiers
2
: to rise in tiers

tier

3 of 3 noun
ti·​er
variants or tyer
ˈtī(-ə)r
: a person or thing that ties

More from Merriam-Webster on tier

Nglish: Translation of tier for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All