open house

noun

1

: ready and usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers

2

: a house or apartment open for inspection especially by prospective buyers or tenants

Examples of open house in a Sentence

Westside High School will host an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. today, and all parents are invited to attend.

colleges holding open houses for prospective students

We held an open house last week in the hopes that someone would offer to buy our house.

They kept open house, and in the evenings neighbors would stop by to talk or play music.

They always kept an open house for visitors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Initially known simply as the Marfa Project, the undertaking was renamed the Art Museum of the Pecos in 1984 and became the Chinati Foundation in 1986; Judd held its first public open house the following year. — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Other residents voiced concerns at the open house about the bridge’s structural integrity. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

RSVPs for the open house are required and can be made online. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

But about six months after they got married, Sarah was browsing StreetEasy and spotted an open house at noon for an apartment downstairs from Len’s. — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 14 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for open house

• boardinghouse
• charterhouse
• clearinghouse
• coffeehouse
• customhouse
• firehouse
• meetinghouse
• motherhouse
• packinghouse
• pilothouse
• powerhouse
• slaughterhouse

Kids Definition

open house

noun

: usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers