Illustration of roof
- 1 gambrel
- 2 mansard
- 3 hip
- 4 lean-to
1
a(1)
: the cover of a building
(2)
: material used for a roof : roofing
b
: the roof of a dwelling conventionally designating the home itself
living under my roof [=in my house]
didn't have a roof over my head[=didn't have any place to live]
They all live under the same roof. [=in the same house]
3
a
: the vaulted upper boundary of the mouth
b
: a covering structure of any of various parts of the body
roof of the skull
4
: something suggesting a roof: such as
a
: a canopy of leaves and branches
b
: the top over the passenger section of a vehicle
roofed; roofing; roofs
1
a
: to cover with or as if with a roof
b
: to provide with a particular kind of roof or roofing
—often used in combination
slate-roofed houses
2
: to constitute a roof over
roofer
noun
Examples of roof in a Sentence
Noun
the roof of a car
The roof of the old barn collapsed.
He bit into a hot slice of pizza and burned the roof of his mouth.
Verb
fed and roofed the emergency volunteers for a week
Recent Examples on the Web
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The 4,376-square-foot home, completed in 1958, has six bedrooms, three bathrooms and a rare indoor 40-by-20-foot pool and spa under a retractable roof added in the 1980s.
—Sandra Barrera, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2026
The forecaster suggested that Arkansans pull their vehicles under a carport or roof and stay inside in order to try to protect themselves and property from hail.
—Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roof
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Noun
Trees grew on the roof of the Polissya Hotel, which once housed nuclear scientists; at the Palace of Culture Energetik in the city’s center, frozen rain collected inside of a decrepit swimming pool.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The 4,376-square-foot home, completed in 1958, has six bedrooms, three bathrooms and a rare indoor 40-by-20-foot pool and spa under a retractable roof added in the 1980s.
—Sandra Barrera, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
Spanning more than 4,000 square feet, the flat-roofed, single-story house is designed to frame its countryside setting, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors opening onto terraces and wide rural views.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2026
The forecaster suggested that Arkansans pull their vehicles under a carport or roof and stay inside in order to try to protect themselves and property from hail.
—Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roof
Cite this Entry
“Roof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roof. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
a
: the upper covering part of a building
b
: a place to live : home
a roof over one's head
2
: the upper boundary of the mouth
3
: something resembling a roof in form, position, or purpose
roof
2 of 2 verb1
: to cover with or as if with a roof
2
: to provide with roofing
roofer
noun
Medical Definition
plural roofs
ˈrüfs, ˈru̇fs also ˈrüvz, ˈru̇vz
1
: the vaulted upper boundary of the mouth supported largely by the palatine bones and limited anteriorly by the dental lamina and posteriorly by the uvula and upper part of the fauces
2
: a covering structure of any of various parts of the body other than the mouth
roof of the skull
roof of the dental pulp chamber
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