rafter

IPA/ˈrɑːftə(r)/
KK[rˈæftɚ]IPA/ˈræftər/

rafter — noun

  • raftersingular
  • raftersplural

1. each long angled beam that runs from a wall up to the roof ridge, forming the fr

1.nounC1
Definition

each long angled beam that runs from a wall up to the roof ridge, forming the frame that holds the roof covering in place.

Example

The old barn's wooden rafters had been standing for over a hundred years without breaking.

usually plural: rafters as roof framework

Leo checked each rafter for signs of rot before installing the new roof tiles.

Common collocations
  • wooden rafters
  • steel rafters
  • roof rafters
  • exposed rafters
  • rafter spacing
Synonyms
  • beam

    a general term for a long, strong piece of wood or metal used in construction; a rafter is a type of beam

  • joist

    a horizontal beam that supports a floor or ceiling, not a sloping roof beam

Usage Note

Often used in the plural form 'rafters' when referring to the complete set of beams that support a roof. A single piece is also called a 'rafter'.

Common Mistakes

The rafter of the house is made of wood.
The rafters of the house are made of wood.
When describing the whole roof frame, the plural 'rafters' is more natural.

2. the area enclosed by the sloping beams of a roof, sometimes used for storage or

2.nounC1
Definition

the area enclosed by the sloping beams of a roof, sometimes used for storage or left as an empty cavity.

Example

Hui stored old photograph albums and winter blankets up among the rafters of the house.

among the rafters: stored in roof space

Dust and cobwebs hung from the rafters of the abandoned church.

Common collocations
  • among the rafters
  • from the rafters
  • in the rafters
  • up in the rafters
Synonyms
  • loft

    a room or space directly under the roof, often used for storage; 'loft' implies a usable space, while 'rafters' emphasises the structural beams

  • attic

    a room at the top of a house under the roof, usually with a floor and sometimes windows

Usage Note

When talking about the space, 'the rafters' is treated as a collective location (e.g. 'up in the rafters', 'hung from the rafters'). It blends the sense of the physical beams with the space they enclose.

3. someone who rides a raft (= a simple flat boat or a small inflatable craft), mos

3.nounC1
Definition

someone who rides a raft (= a simple flat boat or a small inflatable craft), most often as a sport on fast-flowing rivers.

Example

Kwame joined a group of rafters on a three-day trip down the Zambezi River.

Experienced rafters know how to read the currents and steer clear of dangerous rocks.

rafter: person who does rafting sport

Common collocations
  • experienced rafter
  • group of rafters
  • keen rafter
Synonyms

Usage Note

This sense refers to a person who takes part in rafting. The building-related senses (1 and 2) are far more common in everyday English. 'White-water rafter' is sometimes used to distinguish sport rafting from the occupational or transport meaning.

Common Mistakes

The rafters are a group of people who build rafts.
The rafters are a group of people travelling on a raft.
'Rafter' in this sense means a person on a raft, not a raft-builder.

Word family

  • raft
    nounB1
  • rafting
    nounB2
  • white-water rafting
    nounB2
  • raftsman
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A 'rafter' is a specific type of beam that slopes from the top of a wall to the roof ridge, forming the skeleton of a pitched roof. 'Beam' is the broadest term, covering any long, strong horizontal or sloping structural member used in building. A 'joist', by contrast, is always horizontal and supports a floor or ceiling, never a roof slope. A 'truss' is a pre-fabricated framework of beams (often including rafters) arranged in triangles for extra strength. In construction, you might say: 'The carpenter installed the rafters and then covered them with wooden planks.' For a flat support structure: 'The floor joists had to be reinforced before laying the new hardwood.'

beam ↗joist ↗truss

Common collocations

Nouns

  • wooden rafters
  • steel rafters
  • roof rafters
  • exposed rafters

Prepositions

  • among the rafters
  • from the rafters
  • in the rafters

Etymology

Old EnglishOld NorseEnglish

The word 'rafter' comes from Old English 'ræfter', which referred to a beam in a roof. It is related to the Old Norse word 'raptr' meaning 'log' or 'beam'. The sense of a person who rafts (travels on a raft) developed later from 'raft', which entered English from Old Norse 'raptr' via the same root — a raft was originally a structure made of lashed-together logs or beams.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined above Noun (2)