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
didn't have a roof over my head
they share the same roof
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
Synonyms
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
Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
The roof of the Moss Memorial Health Complex was damaged, and other roofs were destroyed.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
First, build Fauna’s house, which can be customized with familiar builds in the game like the roof slats, furniture, and windows.
—Alida Nugent, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
There’s also access to a roof terrace overlooking the city of London.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
The archdiocese is now planning to repair the roof, board the windows, winterize the plumbing and heating systems, and do other work to stabilize the building.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
From the street, Russell Brown’s 100-year-old home in Hollywood would seem to have all the characteristics of a historic Craftsman: gabled roofs, warm green earth-tone shingles and a covered porch that leads to the front door.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The slogan is seemingly in reference to the chart-topping country singer getting arrested for allegedly throwing a chair off the six-story roof the Broadway Street bar.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Officers conducting surveillance for a serial peeper at Monterey hotels arrested a 33-year-old man seen crawling onto a hotel roof to peer in windows, California police reported.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Renderings show a cylindrical high-rise stitched with colorful gardens spiraling from street to roof.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Known as white asbestos, the mineral is used in roofing materials, textiles and cement as well as gaskets, clutches, brake pads and other automotive parts.
—Coral Davenport, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The Lions have played six straight games in domes — four at Ford Field plus trips to Dallas and Minnesota's roofed confines — dating back to the second week of December, holding a 5-1 record in those games.
—Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 22 Jan. 2024
Zetterlund, two minutes later, roofed a wrist shot on the rush over John Gibson's shoulder.
—Eric He, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024
For those who've have had roof leaks during the winter, a different image come to mind.
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
In Denver, Colbert’s bathroom roof partly caved in from a leak last year, and the landlord delayed a fix even as rent went up $200 a month.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024
In Denver, Colbert's bathroom roof partly caved in from a leak last year, and the landlord delayed a fix even as rent went up $200 a month.
—Jesse Bedayn and Michael Casey, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
Noun
The roof is held up using tension from boards placed in a diamond pattern, with no supporting beams used to suspend the roof.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
The roof of the Moss Memorial Health Complex was damaged, and other roofs were destroyed.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
First, build Fauna’s house, which can be customized with familiar builds in the game like the roof slats, furniture, and windows.
—Alida Nugent, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
There’s also access to a roof terrace overlooking the city of London.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
The archdiocese is now planning to repair the roof, board the windows, winterize the plumbing and heating systems, and do other work to stabilize the building.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
From the street, Russell Brown’s 100-year-old home in Hollywood would seem to have all the characteristics of a historic Craftsman: gabled roofs, warm green earth-tone shingles and a covered porch that leads to the front door.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The slogan is seemingly in reference to the chart-topping country singer getting arrested for allegedly throwing a chair off the six-story roof the Broadway Street bar.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Officers conducting surveillance for a serial peeper at Monterey hotels arrested a 33-year-old man seen crawling onto a hotel roof to peer in windows, California police reported.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
The sprawling home, designed by Paul Marchese, a former chief architect of the original World Trade Center, features classical elements such as decorative quoins, a portico entry, and roof balusters.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Renderings show a cylindrical high-rise stitched with colorful gardens spiraling from street to roof.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Known as white asbestos, the mineral is used in roofing materials, textiles and cement as well as gaskets, clutches, brake pads and other automotive parts.
—Coral Davenport, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The Lions have played six straight games in domes — four at Ford Field plus trips to Dallas and Minnesota's roofed confines — dating back to the second week of December, holding a 5-1 record in those games.
—Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 22 Jan. 2024
Zetterlund, two minutes later, roofed a wrist shot on the rush over John Gibson's shoulder.
—Eric He, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024
For those who've have had roof leaks during the winter, a different image come to mind.
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
In Denver, Colbert’s bathroom roof partly caved in from a leak last year, and the landlord delayed a fix even as rent went up $200 a month.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024
In Denver, Colbert's bathroom roof partly caved in from a leak last year, and the landlord delayed a fix even as rent went up $200 a month.
—Jesse Bedayn and Michael Casey, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roof.' 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, from Old English hrōf; akin to Old Norse hrōf roof of a boathouse and perhaps to Old Church Slavonic stropŭ roof
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of roof was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing roof
Dictionary Entries Near roof
Cite this Entry
“Roof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roof. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on roof
Nglish: Translation of roof for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of roof for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about roof
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share