Illustration of roof
- 1 gambrel
- 2 mansard
- 3 hip
- 4 lean-to
1
a(1)
: the cover of a building
(2)
: material used for a roof : roofing
b
: the roof of a dwelling conventionally designating the home itself
living under my roof [=in my house]
didn't have a roof over my head[=didn't have any place to live]
They all live under the same roof. [=in the same house]
3
a
: the vaulted upper boundary of the mouth
b
: a covering structure of any of various parts of the body
roof of the skull
4
: something suggesting a roof: such as
a
: a canopy of leaves and branches
b
: the top over the passenger section of a vehicle
see also go through the roof, raise the roof, through the roof
roofed; roofing; roofs
1
a
: to cover with or as if with a roof
b
: to provide with a particular kind of roof or roofing
—often used in combination
slate-roofed houses
2
: to constitute a roof over
roofer
noun
Examples of roof in a Sentence
Noun
the roof of a car
The roof of the old barn collapsed.
He bit into a hot slice of pizza and burned the roof of his mouth.
Verb
fed and roofed the emergency volunteers for a week
Recent Examples on the Web
Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
Many of the residences open directly onto loggias or private roof terraces, allowing living, dining, and kitchen areas effortless connections to the outdoors.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
The complex also would have roof decks and 15 parking spaces.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roof
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Noun
Fire crews used aerial ladder trucks, as well as firefighters on the roof, to bring the fire under control.
—Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
Many of the residences open directly onto loggias or private roof terraces, allowing living, dining, and kitchen areas effortless connections to the outdoors.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
Developed by a team led by Nima Rahbar at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, ESM could replace traditional building materials in applications such as wall bricks and roof decks.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
The complex also would have roof decks and 15 parking spaces.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roof
Cite this Entry
“Roof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roof. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
a
: the upper covering part of a building
b
: a place to live : home
a roof over one's head
2
: the upper boundary of the mouth
3
: something resembling a roof in form, position, or purpose
roof
2 of 2 verb1
: to cover with or as if with a roof
2
: to provide with roofing
roofer
noun
Medical Definition
plural roofs
ˈrüfs, ˈru̇fs also ˈrüvz, ˈru̇vz
1
: the vaulted upper boundary of the mouth supported largely by the palatine bones and limited anteriorly by the dental lamina and posteriorly by the uvula and upper part of the fauces
2
: a covering structure of any of various parts of the body other than the mouth
roof of the skull
roof of the dental pulp chamber
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