rafters

4 definitions • 6 examples

any of the large, sloping pieces of wood that support a roof:

Each rafter spans half the width of the building.

We had installed insulation between the rafters.

the structure consisting of sloping pieces of wood that support a roof, or the space that is formed by these pieces of wood:

The rescue was hampered by a stubborn fire in the rafters of the building that burned through the night.

Many owls are living in trees or in the rafters of new buildings under construction, which offer a cool, shady daytime roost.

a person travelling on a raft (= a flat floating structure or a small rubber or plastic boat filled with air), or taking part in the sport of rafting or whitewater rafting:

The rafters said that bad weather and the rough sea accounted for the long trip.

Rescuers believe all of the whitewater rafters trapped in the rapids of the Illinois river in Oregon have been accounted for.

any of the large, specially shaped pieces of wood that support a roof