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
J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 10 Feb. 2026
The first building in the Museum of Modern Art complex is crisp and sharp-edged, its cheery cornice-level terrace enlivened by portholes in the roof.
—Christopher Robbins, Curbed, 9 Feb. 2026
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Modifications included removable side and roof panels for shooting, custom-fit lighting and interior finishes, and custom fittings on the van frame to accommodate exterior camera, grip and lighting rigging.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roof
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Cannon and Lee did not think again of the peculiar 2021 phone call until December, when Oklahoma Watch began covering hundreds of bad-faith roof claims and the attorney general’s intervention.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 10 Feb. 2026
The first building in the Museum of Modern Art complex is crisp and sharp-edged, its cheery cornice-level terrace enlivened by portholes in the roof.
—Christopher Robbins, Curbed, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Building roofs The main above-ground enrichment building at Natanz was known as the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Modifications included removable side and roof panels for shooting, custom-fit lighting and interior finishes, and custom fittings on the van frame to accommodate exterior camera, grip and lighting rigging.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 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 13 Feb. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
