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
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
Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
If that happens — and the market is currently betting against that scenario — gasoline prices could go through the roof.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal, 27 Feb. 2026
Key upkeep areas include lawn care, roof inspections, air duct cleaning and plumbing checks.
—Jan Diaz, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roof
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Leaky roofs, lack of air conditioning, and other building issues have a huge impact on the quality of education for teachers and students.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
If that happens — and the market is currently betting against that scenario — gasoline prices could go through the roof.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
The opening comes about seven months after Daddy Vic's Soul Food closed its previous location, 4444 Cane Run Road, due to roof damage following a July 2025 storms.
—Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal, 27 Feb. 2026
Key upkeep areas include lawn care, roof inspections, air duct cleaning and plumbing checks.
—Jan Diaz, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roof
Cite this Entry
“Roof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roof. Accessed 10 Mar. 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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