gambrel roof

noun

: a roof with a lower steeper slope and an upper less steep one on each of its two sides see roof illustration

Examples of gambrel roof in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Gambrel: While often designated as a separate roof style altogether, a gambrel roof is technically a variation of a gable roof in which the sloping sides are broken into two pieces with different pitches. Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2024 On the other hand, hip roofs, gambrel roofs, mansard roofs, and other common roof styles tend to heavily alter a home's overall look. Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2024 This carriage house style barn has one and one half stories and features a gambrel roof design. Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2024 Built in 1809 by Gideon Tucker, a school commissioner who ran a nearby plaster factory, the two-and-a-half-story, Federal-style corner house is exceedingly rare as a Manhattan home whose sloping gambrel roof and original dormer windows have survived more than two centuries. John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2022 In addition to converting it to a tavern, its first tavernkeeper, William Mayes Sr., expanded the building, adding a third floor and the gambrel roof. Carlos R. Muñoz, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Feb. 2023 The Colonial-style house features a gambrel roof, hardwood floors, oversize windows and skylights, high ceilings, two fireplaces, great room and family room, formal dining and living rooms, and a finished basement with full bathroom. The Week Staff, The Week, 22 May 2022 The house has board-and-batten siding and a gambrel roof, as well as a timber-frame living room with vaulted ceilings, a stone fireplace, a kitchen with granite countertops and a two-story deck. Lia Picard, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021 Built in 1652 as a home, the red Colonial with clapboard walls and gambrel roof was converted into a tavern in 1673. BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from gambrel in sense "hock of a horse," compared to the shape of the roof

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gambrel roof was in 1765

Dictionary Entries Near gambrel roof

Cite this Entry

“Gambrel roof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gambrel%20roof. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

gambrel roof

noun
gam·​brel roof
ˌgam-brəl-
: a roof with a lower steeper slope and an upper less steep one on each side
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