tight|rope /ta I troʊp/ (tightropes )
1 N‑COUNT A tightrope is a tightly stretched piece of rope on which someone balances and performs tricks in a circus.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can use tightrope in expressions such as walk a tightrope and live on a tightrope to indicate that someone is in a difficult situation and has to be very careful about what they say or do. □ They're walking a tightrope between being overprotective and not caring enough.
tights /ta I ts/
1 N‑PLURAL [oft a pair of N ] Tights are a piece of clothing, usually worn by women and girls. They are usually made of nylon and cover the hips, legs, and feet. [BRIT ] □ …a new pair of tights. in AM, use pantyhose 2 N‑PLURAL [oft a pair of N ] Tights are a piece of tight clothing, usually worn by dancers, acrobats, or people in exercise classes, and covering the hips and each leg.
ti|gress /ta I gr I s/ (tigresses ) N‑COUNT A tigress is a female tiger .
til|de /t I ldə/ (tildes ) N‑COUNT A tilde is a symbol that is written over the letter 'n' in Spanish (ñ) and the letters 'o' (õ) and 'a' (ã) in Portuguese to indicate the way in which they should be pronounced.
tile /ta I l/ (tiles , tiling , tiled )
1 N‑VAR Tiles are flat, square pieces of baked clay, carpet, cork, or other substance, which are fixed as a covering onto a floor or wall. □ Amy's shoes squeaked on the tiles as she walked down the corridor. □ The cabins had linoleum tile floors.
2 N‑VAR Tiles are flat pieces of baked clay which are used for covering roofs. □ …a fine building, with a neat little porch and ornamental tiles on the roof.
3 VERB When someone tiles a surface such as a roof or floor, they cover it with tiles. □ [V n] He wants to tile the bathroom.
4 → see also tiling
til|ing /ta I l I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT You can refer to a surface that is covered by tiles as tiling . □ The kitchen has smart black tiling, worksurfaces and cupboards.
2 → see also tile
till ◆◇◇ /t I l/ (tills )
1 PREP In spoken English and informal written English, till is often used instead of until . □ They had to wait till Monday to ring the bank manager. □ I've survived till now, and will go on doing so without help from you. ● CONJ Till is also a conjunction. □ They slept till the alarm bleeper woke them at four.
2 N‑COUNT In a shop or other place of business, a till is a counter or cash register where money is kept, and where customers pay for what they have bought. [BRIT ] □ …long queues at tills that make customers angry. in AM, use cash register 3 N‑COUNT A till is the drawer of a cash register, in which the money is kept. [AM ] □ He checked the register. There was money in the till.
till|er /t I lə r / (tillers ) N‑COUNT The tiller of a boat is a handle that is fixed to the rudder. It is used to turn the rudder, which then steers the boat.
tilt /t I lt/ (tilts , tilting , tilted )
1 VERB If you tilt an object or if it tilts , it moves into a sloping position with one end or side higher than the other. □ [V n] She tilted the mirror and began to comb her hair. □ [V n adv/prep] Leonard tilted his chair back on two legs and stretched his long body. □ [V ] The boat instantly tilted, filled and sank. [Also V adv/prep]
2 VERB If you tilt part of your body, usually your head, you move it slightly upwards or to one side. □ [V n with adv] Mari tilted her head back so that she could look at him. □ [V n prep] The nurse tilted his head to the side and inspected the wound. □ [V n] She tilted her face to kiss me quickly on the chin. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Tilt is also a noun. □ [+ of ] He opened the rear door for me with an apologetic tilt of his head.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The tilt of something is the fact that it tilts or slopes, or the angle at which it tilts or slopes. □ [+ of ] …calculations based on our understanding of the tilt of the Earth's axis. □ The 3-metre-square slabs are on a tilt.
4 VERB If a person or thing tilts towards a particular opinion or if something tilts them towards it, they change slightly so that they become more in agreement with that opinion or position. □ [V prep/adv] When the political climate tilted towards fundamentalism, he was threatened. □ [V n prep/adv] The paper has done much to tilt American public opinion in favour of intervention.
5 N‑SING If there is a tilt towards a particular opinion or position, that opinion or position is favoured or begins to be favoured. □ [+ towards ] The chairman criticised the plan for its tilt towards higher taxes rather than lower spending.
6 N‑COUNT A tilt at something is an attempt to win or obtain it. [JOURNALISM ] □ [+ at ] His first tilt at Parliament came in the same year but he failed to win the seat.
7 PHRASE To move full tilt or at full tilt means to move with as much speed, energy, or force as possible. □ As John approached at full tilt, he saw a queue of traffic blocking the road.
ti lt|ing trai n (tilting trains ) N‑COUNT A tilting train is a type of train that can travel faster than ordinary trains because it tilts when the track curves.
tim|ber /t I mbə r / N‑UNCOUNT Timber is wood that is used for building houses and making furniture. You can also refer to trees that are grown for this purpose as timber . □ These Severn Valley woods have been exploited for timber since Saxon times.