roof

[roof, roof]

noun

plural

roofs 

1. the external upper covering of a house or other building.

2. a frame for supporting this.

   an open-timbered roof.

3. the highest part or summit.

   The Himalayas are the roof of the world.

4. 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.

5. a house.

6. Mining.,  the rock immediately above a horizontal mineral deposit.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide or cover with a roof.

roof

/ ruːf /

noun

1. 1. a structure that covers or forms the top of a building

   2. ( in combination )

      the rooftop

   3. ( as modifier )

      a roof garden

2. the top covering of a vehicle, oven, or other structure

   the roof of a car

3. anatomy any structure that covers an organ or part

   the roof of the mouth

4. a highest or topmost point or part

   Mount Everest is the roof of the world

5. a house or other shelter

   a poor man's roof

6. mountaineering the underside of a projecting overhang

7. informal

   1. to get extremely angry; become furious

   2. to rise or increase steeply

8. 1. to create a boisterous disturbance

   2. to react or protest heatedly

verb

1. (tr) to provide or cover with a roof or rooflike part

Other Word Forms

• rooflike adjective
• reroof verb (used with object)
• self-roofed adjective
• underroof noun
• unroofed adjective
• roofless adjective
• roofer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of roof¹

before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English hrōf; cognate with Dutch roef cover, cabin, Old Norse hrōf

Word History and Origins

Origin of roof¹

Old English hrōf ; related to Middle Dutch, Old Norse hrōf

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go through the roof,

   1. to increase beyond all expectations.

      Foreign travel may very well go through the roof next year.

   2. Informal. Also hit the roof to lose one's temper; become extremely angry.

2. raise the roof,

   1. to create a loud noise.

      The applause raised the roof.

   2. to complain or protest noisily.

      He'll raise the roof when he sees that bill.

More idioms and phrases containing roof

• go through the roof
• hit the ceiling (roof)
• like a cat on hot bricks (a hot tin roof)
• raise the roof

Example Sentences

Multiple decks, including a 76-foot roof deck with a spa, offer residents the chance to enjoy panoramic views of the area.

Read more on MarketWatch

He promptly put on a show, 14 of his 32 batting-practice swings resulting in home runs, including one that bounced off the right-field roof, a massive light show that contained a singular message.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Estevao's moment of magic came 10 minutes after half time when he received the ball on the right before beating two defenders and lashing it into the roof of Joan Garcia's net.

Read more on Barron's

The rent you would pay over the next 20-plus years — depending on your health, mobility and any future downsizing plans — would ensure a roof over your head, but otherwise it is effectively lost money.

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When the Underdog balloon gets loose during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the group rushes to the roof to watch only to realize they are locked out of the apartment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ceiling 
• house 

When To Use

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.