sunroof

American

[suhn-roof, -roof] / ˈsʌnˌruf, -ˌrʊf /

noun

a section of an automobile roof that can be slid or lifted open.

sunroof British

/ ˈsʌnˌruːf /

noun

a panel, often translucent, that may be opened in the roof of a car

"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 Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

sunroofs

plural

Etymology

Origin of sunroof

First recorded in 1950–55; sun + roof

Compare meaning

How does sunroof compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

moonroof vs. sunroof

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.

The manufacturer of ride-control products has entered the vehicle sunroof segment via its Inalfa Gabriel Sunroof Systems joint venture, they note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

A rescue crew from the Pleasant Grove Fire Department reached the vehicle and pulled the driver out through the sunroof.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2025

Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin met in Pyongyang on Wednesday where they signed a pact of mutual support against “aggression” and took a driving tour of the city, standing together in the sunroof.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

The object went through the vehicle's sunroof as it was being driven along the M6 between junctions 42 and 43 at Carlisle on Friday at about 20:15 GMT.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2024

In the unseasonal car, with its powerful air-conditioning switched off and sunroof closed, we started for home.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023