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
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Noun
From Buckhead to Bellevue, the season’s last golden hours are best spent on the roof.—
Martie Bowser,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2026 Built in 1924, this Neo-basque home features an original facade with an outdoor staircase and projecting roof.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
31 July 2026
Verb
Problems like peeling paint, roof damage or faulty wiring can hold up closing if the seller isn’t willing to fix them.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
31 July 2026 Some build nests underground in grassy areas or dense vegetation, while others look for openings in trees, wall voids, eaves, and roof overhangs, says Jim McHale, president of JP McHale Pest Management.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
19 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for roof
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English hrōf; akin to Old Norse hrōf roof of a boathouse and perhaps to Old Church Slavic stropŭ roof
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(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