A-frame

American

[ey-freym] / ˈeɪˌfreɪm /

noun

any upright, rigid supporting frame in the form of a triangle or an inverted V , as V .
a building constructed principally of such a frame, with a steep gabled roof resting directly on a foundation.

A-frame British

adjective

(of a house) constructed with an A-shaped elevation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of A-frame

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

A metal archway gives way to a plastic A-frame board describing Floyd and the global movement that his murder inspired.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

The most committed cheese-lovers can opt for the state’s most recognizable Airbnb, a bright yellow A-frame cabin that resembles a wedge of Swiss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

With its red-accented A-frame roof, footbridge and wishing well, the home echoed the dwarfs’ forest abode from the movie, but sat in the distinctly more metropolitan locale of the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2025

As the 1970s ended, Barbie — and many Americans — gave up the metropolitan lifestyle and moved to the suburbs with a prototypical A-frame home.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2023

It is designed like a giant bicycle wheel in the sky, supported by a massive A-frame.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023