raise the roof
Idioms-
Be extremely noisy and boisterous, as in They'd had a lot to drink and were really raising the roof last night .
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Complain loudly and angrily, as in When the landlord increased the rent, the tenants raised the roof about his lack of repairs and maintenance . Both usages convey the image of the roof being lifted because it cannot contain either noise or rage. [ Slang ; mid-1800s] Also see hit the ceiling .
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.
Edwin Outwater, who got his start as an assistant conductor to Tilson Thomas in San Francisco, led the inspirational finale of Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” before Tilson Thomas returned to raise the roof with “Roman Festivals.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2025
Just when I thought “Guys and Dolls” couldn’t raise the roof any higher.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2023
Finally, if you want to raise the roof on creative install locations, a floor-mount free-standing tub filler can be a trendy and versatile tower of power!
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2022
Everton fans know relegation is a really serious prospect and I think they will raise the roof.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2022
If it ain't, you let me know, and I'll spit it out so as it'll raise the roof off this 'ere ken.
From Plays of William E. Henley and R.L. Stevenson by William Ernest Henley
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.
