- the structure that covers or forms the top of a building or vehicle
- a flat/sloping/pitched roof
- Offices on the upper floors have access to a roof terrace.
- a tin/slate/tiled/thatched roof
- The corner of the classroom was damp where the roof had leaked.
- Tim climbed on to the garage roof.
- The roof of the car was not damaged in the accident.
- Offices on the upper floors have access to a roof terrace.
- We stepped out onto the roof of the building.
- I have solar panels on my roof.
Extra ExamplesTopics Houses and homesa2, Transport by car or lorrya2, Buildingsa2- Five people were killed when the roof fell in.
- The burglars removed tiles to climb into the roof space.
- The roof is supported by stone columns.
- The roof slopes down to the top of the windows.
- The roof was covered with red clay tiles.
- There are small windows in the roof.
- There's a cat on the roof.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- conical
- flat
- gabled
- …
- support
- cover
- slope
- cave in
- collapse
- …
- space
- covering
- slate
- …
- in a/the roof
- on a/the roof
- under your roof
- …
- under one roof
- under the same roof
- -roofed(in adjectives) having the type of roof mentioned
- flat-roofed buildings
- the top of an underground space such as a tunnel or cave
- The roof of the tunnel was starting to collapse.
- The cave had a very low roof.
- roof of your mouth the top of the inside of your mouthTopics Bodyc1
Word OriginOld English hrōf, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse hróf ‘boat shed’, Dutch roef ‘deckhouse’. English alone has the general sense ‘covering of a house’; other Germanic languages use forms related to thatch.
Idioms
See roof in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee roof in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishgo through the roof
- (of prices, etc.) to rise or increase very quickly
- House prices here have gone through the roof.
- (also hit the roof)(informal) to become very angryTopics Feelingsc2
have a roof over your head
- to have somewhere to live
- Thanks to Bob’s generosity, I still have a roof over my head.
like a cat on a hot tin roof
(British English also like a cat on hot bricks)
- very nervous
- She was like a cat on a hot tin roof before her driving test.
raise the roof
- to produce or make somebody produce a lot of noise in a building, for example by shouting or cheering
- Their cheers raised the roof.
under one roof | under the same roof
- in the same building or house
- There are various stores and restaurants all under one roof.
- I don't think I can live under the same roof as you any longer.
- We're good friends but we could never live under the same roof.
under your roof
- in your home
- I don't want her under my roof again.
Check pronunciation:
roof