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
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The first firefighters on scene found that solar panels on the roof were burning, Partridge said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2026
James Raia, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Spanning more than 4,000 square feet, the flat-roofed, single-story house is designed to frame its countryside setting, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors opening onto terraces and wide rural views.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roof
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Noun
Lerner’s critical reputation is also through the roof, each new book carrying the weight of potentially being a moment of great artistic import.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The first firefighters on scene found that solar panels on the roof were burning, Partridge said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2026
Verb
It’s packed with innovation and extravagance and black-tone extras, wheels to roof.
—James Raia, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Spanning more than 4,000 square feet, the flat-roofed, single-story house is designed to frame its countryside setting, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors opening onto terraces and wide rural views.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 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 9 May. 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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