dormer

American  

[dawr-mer] / ˈdɔr mər /

noun

• dormers
  plural

1. Also called dormer window. a vertical window in a projection built out from a sloping roof.

2. the entire projecting structure.

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dormer British  

/ ˈdɔːmə /

noun

1. Also called: dormer window. a construction with a gable roof and a window at its outer end that projects from a sloping roof

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dormered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dormers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dormer

1585–95; < Middle French dormoir dormitory

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Explanation

Almost like a picture in a pop-up book, a dormer is a peaked extension, with a window, that rises up from the roof of a house. The word dormer often refers to the window itself. A dormer, with roots in the French dormir (“to sleep”), often extends from an upstairs bedroom. The word has a sense of old-fashioned charm about it. Though you may occasionally still see a face peeking out from a dormer, the word brings to mind old stories such as the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, “The Snow Queen”: “They each had a little dormer window, and one only had to step over the gutter to get from one house to the other.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dormer dormers

Having had "a brief look at the roof space" on the applicant's house, he said things such as dormer windows could reduce roof space, meaning "less panels" could be installed.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Here’s a partial list of things that are not a roof: plumbing vent pipe, chimney, skylights, powered roof ventilator, attic or room dormer, a wall that’s next to and rises above a roof.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2022

A simple dormer addition may be enough to expand the second floor you already have, and is more straightforward than a partial or full second-story addition, because the scope of the project is much smaller.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 24, 2022

Tucked behind tall hedges and 12-foot gates, the 11,500-square-foot manor features dormer windows and Juliet balconies across the exterior.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2021

After prayers, after lights-out, Jutta sneaks up to her brother’s dormer; instead of drawing together, they lie hip to hip listening till midnight, till one, till two.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Their dormers hadn’t been built yet; the lawns hardly had grass; the trees were plants held steady by sticks, a piece of paper attached by wire to the branches: “Apple tree.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

A few have Asian-inspired elements like flared or upturned columns or dormers, while others incorporate floral motifs and stained glass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025

They can add copper strips at the top of all the ridges on the roofs and dormers that will arrest the aging process of the shingles.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2022

A new insulated roof and dormers expanded the head space.

From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2022

And so Harry and Cato began their life at Mrs. De Boer’s, living in one of the narrow dormers in the attic.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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