roof

The word “roof” means the structure covering the top of a building or vehicle. In plain terms, the top covering of a building, car, or other structure.

“Roof” is pronounced roof (/ɹuːf/ in IPA).

Here is “roof” used in a sentence: “A tree branch fell and dented the car's roof.”

Depending on how it is used, “roof” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “roof” comes from Old English. From Old English hrōf, an old Germanic word originally meaning both "roof" and, poetically, "the sky" — the covering over everything.

“Roof” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Roof” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the structure covering the top of a building or vehicle.

A roof is the outer structure covering the top of a building, exposed to the weather. A ceiling is the inner overhead surface you see from inside a room. Between them there is often a loft or void. In short, the roof is outside, while the ceiling is the surface directly above you indoors.

Roofs are classified by shape and pitch. Common types include the flat roof, the sloping pitched roof, the gable roof with two slopes meeting at a ridge, and the hipped roof that slopes on all sides. Others include mansard and gambrel roofs. The choice affects drainage, space, and style.

The tiled or slated top of a house is a roof, as is the flat covering over an office block or the metal top of a car. A thatched cottage roof and a glass conservatory roof are further examples. Any structure covering the top of a building or vehicle qualifies.