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
John Clifford, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Those three taxicab-like bumps on the roof are lidar units for creating real-time 3D scans of the road ahead.
—Alistair Charlton, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
The move unifies the streaming studio, which was launched in 2021, with the more traditional studio business under a single roof.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The mostly wooden structures — elevated shelters with roofs, walls and windows where hunters sat and watched for deer during hunting seasons — were about 4 by 8 feet, about 10 feet tall, and placed on wheeled trailers, Parks said.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2024
Authorities said the building’s copper roof made the firefighting efforts more difficult.
—Christian Wienberg, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
The top line is meant to represent the Hoan Bridge, the Mitchell Park Domes and the roof at American Family Field.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
Three years later, on March 8 of this year, a nearly 2-pound chunk of it may have torn through the roof and two floors of a man's house in Naples, Florida.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
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
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
Designed by Kengo Kuma, one of Japan’s brightest architectural stars, the soaring roof and strategic use of glass and steel create a perfect setting for the works within.
—John Clifford, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Those three taxicab-like bumps on the roof are lidar units for creating real-time 3D scans of the road ahead.
—Alistair Charlton, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
The move unifies the streaming studio, which was launched in 2021, with the more traditional studio business under a single roof.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The mostly wooden structures — elevated shelters with roofs, walls and windows where hunters sat and watched for deer during hunting seasons — were about 4 by 8 feet, about 10 feet tall, and placed on wheeled trailers, Parks said.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2024
Authorities said the building’s copper roof made the firefighting efforts more difficult.
—Christian Wienberg, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
The top line is meant to represent the Hoan Bridge, the Mitchell Park Domes and the roof at American Family Field.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
Three years later, on March 8 of this year, a nearly 2-pound chunk of it may have torn through the roof and two floors of a man's house in Naples, Florida.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near roof
Cite this Entry
“Roof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roof. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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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