rafter.

one of the sloping structural beams supporting a roof

Use it for

Words that belong together

• exposed rafters
• timber rafters
• roof rafter

On the page

Smoke collected among the exposed rafters.

A damaged rafter bowed above the attic.

They hung the lantern from a timber rafter.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Architecture. Unlike a floor joist, a rafter follows the roof's slope. A roof truss is an assembled framework. Plural: rafters.