roof

[ roof, roof ]

/ ruf, rʊf /

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See synonyms for: roof / roofed / roofing on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural roofs.

the external upper covering of a house or other building.

a frame for supporting this: an open-timbered roof.

the highest part or summit: The Himalayas are the roof of the world.

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.

a house.

Mining. the rock immediately above a horizontal mineral deposit.

verb (used with object)

to provide or cover with a roof.

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Idioms about roof

go through the roof,

to increase beyond all expectations: Foreign travel may very well go through the roof next year.
Also hit the roof ,Informal. to lose one's temper; become extremely angry.

raise the roof, Informal.

to create a loud noise: The applause raised the roof.
to complain or protest noisily: He'll raise the roof when he sees that bill.

Origin of roof

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

OTHER WORDS FROM roof

rooflike, adjectivere·roof, verb (used with object)self-roofed, adjectiveun·der·roof, noun

un·roofed, adjective

Words nearby roof

Roodepoort, Roodepoort-Maraisburg, rood loft, rood screen, rood spire, roof, roof-deck, roofer, roof garden, roofie, roofing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use roof in a sentence

They found that asphalt from roofs and roads may contribute as much secondary organic compounds as all the vehicles in the region on an annual basis.
City pavement is a big source of air pollution|Ula Chrobak|September 3, 2020|Popular-Science
The major horizontal roof beam, oriented east-west, is called “the sun’s path.”
An Ancient Site with Human Skulls on Display - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Jo Marchant|September 2, 2020|Nautilus
He had a cinder-block wall around the tank, so the heat wasn’t blowing toward his house, but the eaves of the roof caught on fire in the last five minutes before the tank stopped burning.
How We Saved Our Neighborhood from a Wildfire|Dain Zaffke|September 2, 2020|Outside Online
Creating such “cool roofs” across 80% of the nation’s commercial buildings could cut annual energy use by more than 10 terawatt-hours and save more than $700 million, according to an earlier study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
Air conditioning technology is the great missed opportunity in the fight against climate change|James Temple|September 1, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Stupid young people went back to trying to jump into pools from their roofs.
Team Reopen: 2, Schools: 0|Scott Lewis|August 31, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Which is why you should: “Clap along, if you feel like a room without a roof.”
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations|Kevin Bleyer|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We were on her roof talking and trying to come up with ideas, to think of alternatives to renting a studio.
#Setinthestreet: Your Street Corner Is Their Art Project|James Joiner|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two once lived together under the same roof, after Brooke asked Fenner to live with them.
Beaten By His Church for Being Gay|Justin Jones|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some wielding signs hit the roof, windshield, and body of the car I was traveling in.
It’s Time to Hold Protesters Accountable|Ron Christie|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yeah, I mean, as far as Maggie goes, her reducing a church to just “four walls and a roof” says a lot about the character.
‘Walking Dead’ Showrunner Scott Gimple Teases ‘Darker, Weirder’ Times Ahead|Melissa Leon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Pontellier and Ratignolle compartments adjoined one another under the same roof.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Even as they gazed they saw its roof caught up, and whirled off as if it had been a scroll of paper.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
First the chimneys sank down through the roof, as if they were being lowered into the cellar.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
The tower has four clock faces, pinnacles at the angles, and a steep slate roof and is 120 feet high.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Then the roof itself, with its gables and dormer windows, softly folded itself flat down upon the top of the house, out of sight.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl

British Dictionary definitions for roof

roof

/ (ruːf) /

noun plural roofs (ruːfs, ruːvz)

a structure that covers or forms the top of a building
(in combination)the rooftop
(as modifier)a roof garden

the top covering of a vehicle, oven, or other structurethe roof of a car

anatomy any structure that covers an organ or partthe roof of the mouth

a highest or topmost point or partMount Everest is the roof of the world

a house or other sheltera poor man's roof

mountaineering the underside of a projecting overhang

hit the roof or go through the roof informal

to get extremely angry; become furious
to rise or increase steeply

raise the roof

to create a boisterous disturbance
to react or protest heatedly

verb

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

Derived forms of roof

roofer, nounroofless, adjectiverooflike, adjective

Word Origin for roof

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with roof

roof

In addition to the idiom beginning with roof

roof over one's head, a

also see:

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

roof

Idioms about roof

Origin of roof

OTHER WORDS FROM roof

Words nearby roof

Words related to roof

How to use roof in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for roof

Derived forms of roof

Word Origin for roof

Other Idioms and Phrases with roof