eave

American  

[eev] / iv /

noun

• eaves
  plural

1. Usually eaves the overhanging lower edge of a roof.

2. Often eaves the overhanging edge of anything, as a hat.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• eaved
  adjective
• uneaved
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• eaves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eave

before 1000; Middle English eves, Old English efes; cognate with Old High German obisa, Gothic ubizwa hall; cf. above, over

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eave eaves

An additional Hungarian team of 15-20 rescuers will eave Hungary on Thursday evening on a military plane provided by the government and arrive at the rescue site on Friday morning, Kovacs said.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

And cross blocking between those supports should be installed at least every four to six feet as rafters rise from eave to ridge; walls more than six feet high also need cross supports.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 19, 2022

Over the last two decades, Mike Madrid has battled Democrats, Republicans, Donald Trump and a pesky family of squirrels that assumed residence in the eave of his Midtown Sacramento home.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2022

However, it won’t install horizontally under an eave and needs to be mounted vertically to the side of a house.

From The Verge ● Dec. 7, 2021

I let it slam behind me, then sat on the rain-sopped steps, hunched up under the eave.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

The auctioneers said the ruined property has intact walls to eaves level, as well as two ruined cottages, a smithy and old shop.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

“Immediately noticeable were the sagging eaves, the multitude of leaks from the roof, the dried out, splintered mahogany and the battered exterior woodwork, which had suffered seven decades of winds from the Sound.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

The heat risk in a studio apartment under the eaves with no through air -- windows on just one side for example -- was a negative point for Camille Couturier during a viewing with Denke.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Fire hardening includes measures such as cutting back brush, installing fire resistant roofs and closing eaves to resist fire embers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

After she was in the trundle bed that night, Laura lay and listened to the rain drumming on the roof and streaming from the eaves, and she thought about what Pa had said.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder