dwelling

noun

dwell·​ing ˈdwe-liŋ 

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

Synonyms of dwelling

• 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

He was charged with battery and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling in September 2023, and with battery that May — both classified in court records as misdemeanors. —Claudia Lauer, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Completed in 1981 but recently updated, the five-bedroom, four-bath dwelling comes with white oak hardwood floors, wood-beam ceilings, wide arched doorways, and oversized picture windows overlooking bicoastal views stretching from Moloka’i to Lana’i. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2026

This is a visceral, luxurious immersion in landscape and nature, grand, unspoilt and raw, within which the Prana collection of buildings sensitively sit, taking their cue from the local age-old mountain dwellings. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

City crews had not yet arrived to demolish his old dwelling. —Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026

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.