roof over one's head

plural roofs over one's head · plural rooves over one's head · alternative roof over the head

1. idiomaticA place to live or reside; shelter.

   When you were in trouble, he gave you a roof over your head.

   5 more examples

   Today Warsaw is a city of unfinished buildings. Apartment houses of brick or cement-and-ruble blocks have been run up and finished inside, but are still raw and uncovered on the outside. “We had to get roofs over the people’s heads, and get them out of the cellars,” a citizen explains.

   1955 May 31, Clifton Daniel, “Poland Retracing Ancient Design in Replacing Historic Buildings […]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 May 2025

   The persons who stood to lose their homes and who faced the prospect of losing the rooves over their heads were the whole Hilton family, all three generations of them - the occupants of both houses, both the bungalow and the big brick house.

   1983, Matthew Sheard, Watson W. Evans, Joseph Strung, “Leo Joseph Hare: Appeal from a Decision of the Registrar of Real Estate and Business Brokers”, in Commercial Registration Appeal Tribunal, Summaries of Decisions, volume 13, Toronto, Ont., published 1984, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 269

   [A]ll profits and commissions that derive from the provision of housing are added into the prices people pay to put rooves over their heads.

   1983 October 22, Alex Macdonald, “‘We’re not against the Truly Needy, throw them a crumb for goodness sake’”, in ‘My Dear Legs…’: Letters to a Young Social Democrat, Vancouver, B.C.: New Star Books, published July 1985, →ISBN, page 88

   And parents' generosity goes further than putting a roof over their grown-up kids' heads. In the last 12 months, 6.24 million British parents have given their adult children, including those who have already left home, a total of £20.24bn - including 20,000 who have handed over a lump sum of £50,000 or more.

   2003 November 17, Sandra Haurant, “Children in no hurry to fly the nest”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Sep 2014

   Those lucky enough to have rooves over their heads did their bst to ignore the cries, turning a deaf ear to their brothers’ misfortune.

   2011, Curtis Jobling, “Beyond the Gates”, in Rage of Lions (Wereworld; 2), London: Puffin Books, →ISBN, part IV (The Storm from the South), page 285