full house
noun
plural full houses
1
: a poker hand containing three of a kind and a pair see poker illustration
2
: a theater, concert hall, etc. that is completely filled with spectators
Nevertheless, Into Great Silence played to a full house for two months at one of the city's hippest independent movie theaters.—
Michael Boudway
Michael Boudway
Examples of full house in a Sentence
a singer performing before a full house
A hand with three kings and two tens is a full house.
Recent Examples on the Web
On a night usually reserved for boxing and Mexican champion Canelo Alvarez, the UFC took center stage with a full house of 18,700 fans filling T-Mobile Arena for the first Noche UFC event.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023
The singer shrugged off a missed note and had to restart after she got tangled in the lyrics, but neither Smith nor the full house seemed to mind.
—Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2023
Addressing a full house, the dermatologist recalled the origins of his social media journey as a pandemic-era whim.
—Carys Anderson, Variety, 14 July 2023
The classic Henrik Ibsen play, which was adapted by Amy Herzog and directed by Jamie Lloyd, began previews at the Hudson Theatre on Feb. 13 and has played to nearly full houses so far, minting a strong $811,261 in its first full week of performances.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2023
In some versions of this game, bettors can receive extra payouts for hands like full houses or royal flushes, among others.
—Kevin Wolff, cleveland, 6 June 2023
Although it was forced to move in 2019 from its original location in downtown L.A., which had been designated a historic landmark, its new site in Highland Park still draws a full house.
—Scott Feinblatt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023
Yet despite the rationing, despite the blockade, despite the sniper fire and the steady bombardment of artillery shells raining down on the city, Cousins arrived to a full house: Bosnians who had put their lives at risk with something somehow more precious than survival at stake.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Payton entered the game near the end of the first quarter to a hearty home welcome from the full house, which included courtsiders Rickey Henderson and Olympic swimmer Ryan Murphy of Cal.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2023
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Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023
The singer shrugged off a missed note and had to restart after she got tangled in the lyrics, but neither Smith nor the full house seemed to mind.
—Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2023
Addressing a full house, the dermatologist recalled the origins of his social media journey as a pandemic-era whim.
—Carys Anderson, Variety, 14 July 2023
The classic Henrik Ibsen play, which was adapted by Amy Herzog and directed by Jamie Lloyd, began previews at the Hudson Theatre on Feb. 13 and has played to nearly full houses so far, minting a strong $811,261 in its first full week of performances.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2023
In some versions of this game, bettors can receive extra payouts for hands like full houses or royal flushes, among others.
—Kevin Wolff, cleveland, 6 June 2023
Although it was forced to move in 2019 from its original location in downtown L.A., which had been designated a historic landmark, its new site in Highland Park still draws a full house.
—Scott Feinblatt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023
Yet despite the rationing, despite the blockade, despite the sniper fire and the steady bombardment of artillery shells raining down on the city, Cousins arrived to a full house: Bosnians who had put their lives at risk with something somehow more precious than survival at stake.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Payton entered the game near the end of the first quarter to a hearty home welcome from the full house, which included courtsiders Rickey Henderson and Olympic swimmer Ryan Murphy of Cal.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'full 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
First Known Use
1701, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Dictionary Entries Near full house
Cite this Entry
“Full house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/full%20house. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about full house
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