sky

1 of 2

noun

plural skies
1
: the upper atmosphere or expanse of space that constitutes an apparent great vault or arch over the earth
2
3
a
: weather in the upper atmosphere
b
: climate
temperate English skiesG. G. Coulton

sky

2 of 2

verb

skied or skyed; skying

transitive verb

1
chiefly British : to throw or toss up : flip
2
: to hang (something, such as a painting) above the line of vision
3
: to hit (a ball) high into the air

intransitive verb

: to jump high
sky for a rebound

Examples of sky in a Sentence

Noun There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Dark clouds moved quickly across the sky. Hailstones suddenly fell out of the sky. The sun was high in the sky. The forecast is for sunny skies tomorrow. a patch of blue sky
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Toilets in the sky Using water to flush airplane toilets is a no go because of aircraft weight restrictions. Julia Buckley, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 And the once-familiar sun becomes a black void in the sky surrounded by the glowing corona — that's the ghostly white ring that is the sun's atmosphere. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 If the moon isn’t visible, lunar calculations are used to predict its location in the sky. Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024 From orbit, Titan looks like a hazy ball of bronze, thanks to hydrocarbon particles suspended high in the sky. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 Drawing legal lines in the sand (and snow) Agency staff informed at least some of the farmers who spread illegally that their complaints came from eyes in the sky. Bennet Goldstein, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 And this can really be the hardest part—with the last rays of sunlight still present in the sky, these objects will appear very dim. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 Aside from the occasional noise complaint, the cloudy skies of London—a contrast to sunny LA—suited him. Cat Cardenas, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2024 In contrast to beautiful full moon appearances, new moons blend in with the night sky. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
Russia’s war in Ukraine sent energy prices sky high. Raf Casert, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2024 But Robinson made a break for the ball before it was thrown; eventually skying to come up with an interception at the goal line. Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023 Diego Peralta controlled possession down the left hash before skying the ball over to Leo Pappas filling the right lane. Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2023 But trailing, 12-9, with the bases loaded, Triston Casas just missed the sweet spot on a Coulombe cutter, skying out to center to end the threat. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023 Two plays later, O'Neil and Johnson connected again, with Johnson skying over a Chatard defender for a 31-yard touchdown. Matthew Glenesk, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Sep. 2023 For spacecraft, landing safely has entailed everything from inflatable airbag systems to sky cranes to retro-thrusters. Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2019 Plus, four-man Jeff Green is a 17-year veteran can still can sky over defenders for dunks and knock down stop-up 3s. Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 29 Apr. 2023 These figures are only going to sky rocket in short order, too, now that it’s become almost impossible to buy a TV of 40 inches or bigger that doesn’t boast a native 4K resolution. John Archer, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, cloud, sky, from Old Norse skȳ cloud; akin to Old English scēo cloud

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1802, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sky was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sky

Cite this Entry

“Sky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sky. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sky

noun
ˈskī
plural skies
1
: the upper atmosphere : the vast arch or dome that seems to spread over the earth
2
3
: weather entry 1, climate
the forecast is for sunny skies tomorrow

More from Merriam-Webster on sky

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