roof
Americannoun
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roofs
plural
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the external upper covering of a house or other building.
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a frame for supporting this.
an open-timbered roof.
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the highest part or summit.
The Himalayas are the roof of the world.
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something that in form or position resembles the roof of a house, as the top of a car, the upper part of the mouth, etc.
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a house.
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Mining. the rock immediately above a horizontal mineral deposit.
verb (used with object)
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roofs,
present (3rd person singular)
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roofed,
past participle, past
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roofing
present participle
idioms
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go through the roof,
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to increase beyond all expectations.
Foreign travel may very well go through the roof next year.
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Informal. Also hit the roof to lose one's temper; become extremely angry.
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raise the roof,
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to create a loud noise.
The applause raised the roof.
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to complain or protest noisily.
He'll raise the roof when he sees that bill.
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noun
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a structure that covers or forms the top of a building
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( in combination )
the rooftop
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( as modifier )
a roof garden
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the top covering of a vehicle, oven, or other structure
the roof of a car
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anatomy any structure that covers an organ or part
the roof of the mouth
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a highest or topmost point or part
Mount Everest is the roof of the world
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a house or other shelter
a poor man's roof
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mountaineering the underside of a projecting overhang
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informal
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to get extremely angry; become furious
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to rise or increase steeply
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to create a boisterous disturbance
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to react or protest heatedly
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verb
Usage
Plural word for roof The plural form of roof is roofs (not rooves). Roof is not pluralized by replacing the -f ending with -ves, as is done in many other words ending in -f, such as shelf/shelves, scarf/scarves, and hoof/hooves. The word roof comes from Old English, and like many Old English-derived words ending in -f, it initially had two plural forms: roofs and rooves. It’s not clear why rooves dropped out of use. It might be simply because we don’t use the plural form of roof very often, compared to more common words like leaf/leaves. Other examples of this pluralization pattern include proof/proofs, chief/chiefs, and brief/briefs.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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roofernoun
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underroofnoun
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reroofverb (used with object)
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rooflessadjective
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rooflikeadjective
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self-roofedadjective
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unroofedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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roofsimple
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roofssimple
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have roofedperfect
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has roofedperfect
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am roofingprogressive
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are roofingprogressive
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is roofingprogressive
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have been roofingperfect progressive
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has been roofingperfect progressive
Past
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roofedsimple
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had roofedperfect
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was roofingprogressive
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were roofingprogressive
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had been roofingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of roof
before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English hrōf; cognate with Dutch roef cover, cabin, Old Norse hrōf
Explanation
The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire! Just kidding. That’s from an ‘80s rap song and it means a party is rocking. A roof is a building's cover. It keeps the rain out of your house party. The roof on your house or apartment building keeps rain, snow, and harsh sunlight out. Vehicles have roofs too: "I could hear sleet hitting the car roof," and so do enclosed spaces like porches or caves. You might even refer to the fact that you have a home as "having a roof over my head." As a verb, to roof means "to install a roof." When you "raise the roof," you make a lot of festive noise.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"We see adolescent pregnancies going through the roof because of child marriage," says Owomuhangi.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
The department ultimately could not rule out the solar panels on the roof, the equipment connected to them or the work being done at the time as potential causes for the fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
At the time, the Hollywood mogul and actress unveiled ambitious plans to dramatically overhaul the estate with a 27,000-square-foot, five-story riding facility featuring a domed roof and underground horse stables.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
On the roof, Waddy checks on hundreds of condensers arranged in neat rows to help cool the facility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
I constructed a framework with a sloping roof.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Communities across all states bordering Wyoming face darkness, breathing difficulties and roofs collapsing under accumulated ash.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
It offers quiet roads along coastlines and river gorges and into mountains, among rice paddies and through towns with tiled roofs where villagers pride themselves on their Shikoku hospitality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
The firm which tested the sample told the BBC it contained Chrysotile fibre, a white loose asbestos usually found in pipe insulation or corrugated roofs.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The board also clarified it would not require the removal of trees, although limbs would need to be trimmed away from roofs and chimneys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Many have roofs of tejas, some already slid off to the ground, leaving gaps.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
“Gambrel roofed Barnhaus,” the listing read, “next door to the best burritos in town.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
Only decades ago many of the cottages in Scotland’s Highlands were roofed in heather, bracken and marram grass.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
She streaked down the left side and roofed the puck over Campbell’s left shoulder.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2024
Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a roofed theatre, market and river port at the site of a Roman town.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2023
The houses were roofed with sod, the windows shuttered with ragged pieces of hide.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
On Saturday, firefighters were still clearing debris and removing collapsed corrugated metal roofing.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Seek a second opinion from your own independent roofing contractor, including a report on the previous repair to the roof.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
And some features that had previously been eliminated needed to be returned to the home, including original roofing, porches and even light switches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Yet residents who have cautiously returned to Nabatieh have expressed dismay at the huge damage Israel inflicted on the city's neighbourhoods and its famed market, where the roofing had collapsed and shops were devastated.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Shadow’s temples felt as if they had been reattached to the rest of his skull with roofing nails, and his vision was blurred.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
