roof definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

noun (plural roofs)

Definition:

1. upper covering of building: the outside covering of the top of a building, or the framework supporting this

2. top part: the top part of something, forming a covering, e.g. the top of a vehicle

a blue car with a black roof

3. top of inside cavity: the top of the inside of a hollow structure

the roof of the cave

4. structure covering body cavity: the upper covering structure of a body part, especially one with a vaulted structure such as the mouth

5. highest point: the highest point or upper limit of something

transitive verb (past and past participle roofed, present participle roof·ing, 3rd person present singular roofs)

Definition:

install roof on something: to put a top covering onto something, especially a building

The house is roofed with slate tiles.

[ Old English hrōf "roof, ceiling, top" < Germanic]

roof·less adjective

roof·like adjective

go through the roof to rise to an extremely high level (informal)

hit the roof to be extremely angry (informal)

Cultural Note


	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a play (1955) by Tennessee Williams. Set in the U.S. South, it depicts the Pollitt family gathering to celebrate the 65th birthday of patriarch Big Daddy. The simmering conflicts between Daddy and sons Gooper and Buck and their wives reflect the lies and deceit that underpin many family relationships. It was made into a movie by Richard Brooks in 1958. One of its best-known lines is the last one from Act III: "Nothing's more determined than a cat on a tin roof - is there? Is there, baby?".