house

1 of 2

noun

plural houses ˈhau̇-zəz How to pronounce house (audio)
also
-səz How to pronounce house (audio)
often attributive
1
: a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few families : home
invited them to her house for dinner
a two-family house
2
a(1)
: a shelter or refuge (such as a nest or den) of a wild animal
(2)
: a natural covering (such as a test or shell) that encloses and protects an animal or a colony of zooids
b
: a building in which something is sheltered or stored
a carriage house
3
a
astrology : one of the 12 equal sectors (see sector entry 1 sense 1a) in which the celestial sphere is divided
b
astrology : a sign of the zodiac that is the seat of a planet's greatest influence
the house occupied by Jupiter
4
a
: household
woke up the whole house
b
: a family including ancestors, descendants, and kindred
the house of Tudor
5
a
: a residence for a religious community or for students
a fraternity house
b
: the community or students living in such a residence
6
a
government : a legislative, deliberative, or consultative assembly
especially : one constituting a division of a bicameral body
a bill approved by both houses of Congress
often used in capitalized form as the shortened name of a specific house
The bill passed in both the House and the Senate.
MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Government's Brexit Bill in the House of Commons. … The House voted in favour of the bill by 498 to 114 … Chloe Chaplain
b
: the building or chamber where such an assembly meets
c
: a quorum of such an assembly
7
a
: a place of business or entertainment
a movie house
the local fish house
a house of prostitution
Save room for a soufflé, the century-long house specialty …Thomas P. Farley
a house cocktail [=a cocktail whose recipe was created by the bar, restaurant, etc. at which it is served]
b(1)
: a business organization
a publishing house
(2)
: a gambling establishment
c
: the audience in a theater or concert hall
a full house on opening night
8
curling : the circular area 12 feet in diameter surrounding the tee and within which a curling stone must rest in order to count
9
[from The Warehouse, Chicago dance club that pioneered the style] : a type of dance music mixed by a disc jockey that features overdubbing with a heavy repetitive drumbeat and repeated electronic melody lines
houseful noun
houseless adjective
houselessness noun

house

2 of 2

verb

housed; housing

transitive verb

1
a
: to provide with living quarters or shelter
a place to house their guests
b
: to store in a building
the barn where they house their boat
2
: to encase, enclose, or shelter as if by putting in a house (see house entry 1)
so timorous a soul housed in so impressive a bodyA. W. Long
3
: to serve as a shelter or container for : contain
buildings that house government offices

intransitive verb

: to take shelter : lodge
Phrases
on the house
: without charge : free

Examples of house in a Sentence

Noun Would you like to come to my house for dinner? I spent the weekend just puttering around the house. He made enough noise to wake the whole house. Verb More prisons are needed to house the growing number of inmates. The museum houses an impressive collection of jewels. The carpenter built casing to house the hot water pipes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Yes, Californians do carry a lot of debt — mainly the result of sky-high house prices. Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Three speakers talk about Cincinnati-area Settlement houses, which were outreach centers in the 1880s that helped ease immigrants into American life. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024 Builders for years have focused on more profitable properties, with construction concentrated in two extremes: houses on large suburban lots, or steel-and-concrete apartment buildings in urban areas, according to Robert Dietz, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 There is a detached guest house, a pool house with a kitchen, a dance studio/gym (which the listing notes could be turned into a recording or production studio), a children’s playhouse, sauna, three-car garage and kennel. Degen Pener, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024 The 1989 movie where Patrick Swayze is a professional New York City bouncer imported to Missouri to work at the most raucous road house bar in the Show Me State? David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2024 The Marine isn’t a house museum, though people lived there in splendor from 1774 to around 1792. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 9 Mar. 2024 Gangi, Sicily Gangi exudes Sicilian small-town magic, with a hilltop castle, medieval and baroque churches, and stone houses with terracotta roofs (some of which have sold for just one euro). Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2024 The seeds to creating this fascinating juxtaposition were planted early, with the artist (real name Neko Bennett) growing up listening to Jodeci, Sade, Anita Baker, Mint Condition, Intro and other old-school R&B and soul acts his mother and grandmother would play around the house. Heran Mamo, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
The 12-year-old boy is being housed at the Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center, where his court hearings have also taken place. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 After the verdict against Mr. Trump, envelopes containing white powder were sent to the Albany building that houses Ms. James’s office. Jesse McKinley, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Built for families to live together on dead end road Allen said the property has two wells, room for a machine shop, and a separate building that housed a diesel generator. USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 The state even regressed in such areas as failing to house prisoners in suicide-resistant cells when they are first placed in segregation, often including solitary confinement, in which prisoners are particularly vulnerable. Don Thompson, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 Pera was given access to five drafts of the book that are part of the large collection of García Márquez's work housed at the University of Texas at Austin. Carrie Kahn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 The new location checked all the boxes and did not need any rezoning to allow animals to be housed there. Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 The building formerly housed a Fry’s Electronics store, though the massive blue and red decorative gears that once covered the facade have been removed since the county took over. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The end result has led to the arena successfully housing two teams without much friction. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'house.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English hous, from Old English hūs; akin to Old High German hūs house

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of house was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near house

Cite this Entry

“House.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

house

1 of 2 noun
plural houses ˈhau̇-zəz How to pronounce house (audio)
1
: a building in which one or more families live
2
a
: something (as a nest or den) used by an animal for shelter
b
: a building in which something is stored
carriage house
3
a
: one of the 12 equal sections into which the celestial sphere is divided in astrology
b
: a sign of the zodiac that is the seat of a planet's greatest influence
4
b
: family sense 2
especially : a royal or noble family
5
: a residence for a religious community or for students
6
: a body of persons assembled to make and discuss laws
7
a
: a place of business or entertainment
went to a movie house
b
: a business firm
a publishing house
c
: the audience in a theater or concert hall
played to a full house

house

2 of 2 verb
housed; housing
1
a
: to provide with living quarters or shelter
b
: to store in a house
2
: to encase or enclose as if by putting in a house
3
: to take shelter : lodge
Etymology

Noun

Old English hūs "house, home" — related to husband

Legal Definition

house

noun
1
a
: a building (as a single or multiple family house, apartment, or hotel room) serving as living quarters and usually including the curtilage
b
: a building (as one's residence or a locked place of business) in which one is entitled to protection (as from warrantless searches and seizures) under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
2
a
: a legislative assembly especially that constitutes a division of a bicameral body
b
: the building or chamber where such an assembly meets
c
: a quorum of such an assembly

Biographical Definition

House

biographical name

Edward Mandell 1858–1938 Colonel House American diplomat

More from Merriam-Webster on house

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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