Roof Meaning
/ɹuːf/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe external covering at the top of a building.
nounThe top external level of a building.
Sentence Examples
We got our roof blown off in the gale.
The cat burglar must have entered the mansion from the roof.
The roof collapsed under the weight of snow.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tiles on the ____ of the house were damaged by the strong wind.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The storm caused significant damage to the ____ of the old farmhouse, requiring urgent repairs.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English rof, from Old English hrōf (“roof, ceiling; top, summit; heaven, sky”), from Proto-Germanic *hrōfą (“roof”). Cognate with Scots ruif (“roof, ceiling”), Dutch roef (“cabin on a boat”), Icelandic hróf (“shed”), Irish cró (“pen, barn, cabin”), Proto-Slavic *stropъ (“roof, ceiling”). Compare Faroese rógv (“something high up”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"'Twas the house I'd seen the roof of from the beach."
— 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
"The very first sound that you’ll hear on the roof
(Provided there’s fog) will be Rudolph’s small hoof."
— 1931, Robert L. May, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward, draft:
"The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire!
We don't need no water: Let the motherfucker burn!
Burn, motherfucker, burn!"
— 1984, Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, “The Roof Is on Fire”:
"When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face,
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof, it's peaceful as can be
And there, the world below can't bother me..."
— 1962, Gerry Goffin et al., “Up on the Roof”:
"As Bent pulled away to the far post, Agbonlahor opted to go it alone, motoring past Gary Caldwell before unleashing a shot into the roof of the net."
— 2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2-0 Wigan”, in BBC Sport:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The tiles on the ____ of the house were damaged by the strong wind.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The storm caused significant damage to the ____ of the old farmhouse, requiring urgent repairs.