dwelling

noun

dwell·​ing ˈdwe-liŋ 

: a shelter (such as a house) in which people live

Synonyms

• residence
• abode
• house
• roof
• lodging
• home
• housing

Examples of dwelling in a Sentence

the simple dwellings in which the Pilgrims spent the first winter at Plymouth

Recent Examples on the Web

Homebuyers are not just purchasing a physical dwelling. —Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Drive less than an hour from central Sedona through otherworldly red rocks to the Honanki Heritage Site, where the ancestors of Northern Arizona’s Hopi Tribe lived in sprawling cliff dwellings between the 12th and 14th centuries. —New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025

This show was filmed at the 13,600-square-foot Spanish-style dwelling, located in Montecito, California, near to Meghan and Harry's own home. —Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025

Nearly 91% of California’s homes was built before 2010, and there are 2 million dwellings in high-risk wildfire areas. —Bloomberg, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see dwell

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dwelling

• dwelling place
• lake dwelling
• two-family house/dwelling

Rhymes for dwelling

• belling
• celling
• fehling
• felling
• gelling
• pelling
• quelling
• selling
• shelling
• smelling
• spelling
• swelling

Kids Definition

dwelling

noun

dwell·​ing

ˈdwel-iŋ

: a shelter in which people live : house

Legal Definition

dwelling

noun

dwell·​ing

: a structure where a person lives and especially sleeps

called also dwelling house

see also burglary

Note: Courts disagree as to how permanent or consistent the habitation of a structure must be in order for it to be considered a dwelling, but most courts agree that a dwelling includes its curtilage.