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
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
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
Thomas P. Farleya 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
housed; housing
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 body—A. W. Long
A. W. Long3
: to serve as a shelter or container for : contain
buildings that house government offices
: to take shelter : lodge
Synonyms
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 WebJoyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
There can be houses flying away just a mile away and trees being uprooted in the other direction.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
On the outside, the Miami Lakes church looks like any other house of God, perhaps plainer than most.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Rachel went to a friend’s house in Wheat Ridge on the morning of May 3 and laid down on the floor, according to a coroner’s autopsy report.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The house was a Polish flat, which have narrow, steep and winding stairwells.
—Journal Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2024
During the interview, the pair cited distance as a problem, with Turner living at his lake house in Indiana while Nist was based out of New Jersey.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2024
After being spurned by networks large and small, the U.F.C. leadership devised a last-ditch plan to become profitable: a reality TV show in which 16 athletes would live together in a Las Vegas house, training and fighting one another with a six-figure contract on the line.
—Emmanuel Morgan, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
When a political party is dissolved, its sitting lawmakers may join a new party within 30 days to keep their seats in the lower house.
—TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Christian Wienberg, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
This wing of the home also houses the primary suite, which offers a sitting area and a private terrace, a deluxe bath, and a massive walk-in closet.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
Rayner said just one-fourth of the boxes house a bluebird, and half their nests are unsuccessful, victims of predators like sparrows, snakes and raccoons.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
The prison also houses transgender and nonbinary persons.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Orange County Sports Fundamentals in Anaheim houses a prep academy for seventh- through ninth-grade athletes and utilizes El Rancho Charter School for its academics.
—Annika Bahnsen, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
Bohren orders the maximum commitment term for Weier after hearing from experts who said Geyser, now 15, could receive more effective treatment for her schizophrenia somewhere other than where she is currently housed with adults who have committed crimes.
—Jim Riccioli, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Also delayed is McNamara’s request that Cousins move the trial venue to McKinleyville in Humboldt County, which houses the only courthouse for the federal Northern District of California outside the Bay Area.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
At street level, a welcoming cafe space hosts cultural events amid shelves of photobooks, while a dedicated upstairs gallery houses a progressive roster of contemporary photography exhibitions by an eclectic selection of international artists.
—Ben Olsen, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
Wandering in the cellar of the unfamiliar house, unable for some frantic minutes to find the stairway leading up, the wife had begun to have difficulty breathing.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
There can be houses flying away just a mile away and trees being uprooted in the other direction.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
On the outside, the Miami Lakes church looks like any other house of God, perhaps plainer than most.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Rachel went to a friend’s house in Wheat Ridge on the morning of May 3 and laid down on the floor, according to a coroner’s autopsy report.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The house was a Polish flat, which have narrow, steep and winding stairwells.
—Journal Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2024
During the interview, the pair cited distance as a problem, with Turner living at his lake house in Indiana while Nist was based out of New Jersey.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2024
After being spurned by networks large and small, the U.F.C. leadership devised a last-ditch plan to become profitable: a reality TV show in which 16 athletes would live together in a Las Vegas house, training and fighting one another with a six-figure contract on the line.
—Emmanuel Morgan, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
When a political party is dissolved, its sitting lawmakers may join a new party within 30 days to keep their seats in the lower house.
—TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
The property, which served as Denmark’s stock exchange until the 1970s, now houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce and had been under renovation.
—Christian Wienberg, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
This wing of the home also houses the primary suite, which offers a sitting area and a private terrace, a deluxe bath, and a massive walk-in closet.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
Rayner said just one-fourth of the boxes house a bluebird, and half their nests are unsuccessful, victims of predators like sparrows, snakes and raccoons.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
The prison also houses transgender and nonbinary persons.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Orange County Sports Fundamentals in Anaheim houses a prep academy for seventh- through ninth-grade athletes and utilizes El Rancho Charter School for its academics.
—Annika Bahnsen, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
Bohren orders the maximum commitment term for Weier after hearing from experts who said Geyser, now 15, could receive more effective treatment for her schizophrenia somewhere other than where she is currently housed with adults who have committed crimes.
—Jim Riccioli, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Also delayed is McNamara’s request that Cousins move the trial venue to McKinleyville in Humboldt County, which houses the only courthouse for the federal Northern District of California outside the Bay Area.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
At street level, a welcoming cafe space hosts cultural events amid shelves of photobooks, while a dedicated upstairs gallery houses a progressive roster of contemporary photography exhibitions by an eclectic selection of international artists.
—Ben Olsen, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near house
Cite this Entry
“House.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
house
1 of 2 noun
plural houses
ˈhau̇-zəz 
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
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