Meaning
To increase dramatically and rise to extremely high levels, often used of prices, temperatures, or emotions.
It emphasizes a sudden, often startling jump rather than a slow, steady rise.
Origin
The image is architectural: something rising so high, or growing under such pressure, that it literally bursts through a building’s roof — the same logic behind the related expression “hit the roof” (to lose one’s temper suddenly and dramatically). The figurative use for prices, statistics, or emotions “going through the roof” became especially common in 20th-century English, alongside similar vertical metaphors like “sky-high” and “skyrocketing,” all of which frame an increase as breaking through an expected upper limit rather than simply rising within it.
Examples
Housing prices have gone through the roof this year.
Her temperature went through the roof overnight.
Ticket sales went through the roof after the announcement.
A: How much is rent downtown now? B: It’s gone through the roof.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Through the roof' mean?
To increase dramatically and rise to extremely high levels, often used of prices, temperatures, or emotions.
It emphasizes a sudden, often startling jump rather than a slow, steady rise.