rolltop desk

noun

roll·​top desk ˈrōl-ˈtäp- How to pronounce rolltop desk (audio)
: a writing desk with a sliding cover often of parallel slats fastened to a flexible backing

Illustration of rolltop desk

Illustration of rolltop desk

Examples of rolltop desk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The three partners had to make do with offices about six feet square, barely large enough for their cheap rolltop desks. Henry Wiencek july 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025 The four main buildings are styled more like a Silicon Valley startup than a bank, with cypress siding, exposed wooden beams, and not a marble column or rolltop desk in sight. Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 There are books everywhere—including on the rolltop desk in back. Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024 In one room, Boric had his only piece of furniture, an old-fashioned rolltop desk. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 Brenda, This is a Stow-Davis rolltop desk, about 75 years old. Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 3 Mar. 2022 Tambour is what makes the lid able to slide, for example, on a rolltop desk. Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 22 Nov. 2020 And this—hung right over my rolltop desk—still marks the turning point between the two. Allan Gurganus, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rolltop desk was in 1887

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rolltop desk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rolltop%20desk. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

rolltop desk

noun
roll·​top desk ˌrōl-ˌtäp- How to pronounce rolltop desk (audio)
: a desk with a cover that can be slid up or down

More from Merriam-Webster on rolltop desk

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!