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 building or part of a building where people gather for a specified kind of activity
a movie house
the local coffee house
a house of worship/God [=a church, synagogue, mosque, etc.]
runs the restaurant's front of house [=dining area]
… can no longer require employees to share their tips with the back of house, such as cooks and dishwashers …—Melanie Sevcenko
Melanie Sevcenkoa house cocktail [=a cocktail whose recipe was created by the bar, restaurant, etc. at which it is served]
Save room for a soufflé, the century-long house specialty …—Thomas P. Farley
Thomas P. Farley
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; houses
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
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
Ann Goldstein, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
Young adults are less likely to own a house, more likely to live with their parents and less likely to be married or have children.
—Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 26 May 2025
Don’t miss the Barnes & Noble, which is cleverly housed in an old theater, Ante Bellums Attic Antique Shop, and Firefly Boutique for women’s clothing.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for house
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
At night, for example, when the house is silent and your work is done.
—Ann Goldstein, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
Young adults are less likely to own a house, more likely to live with their parents and less likely to be married or have children.
—Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Verb
Since 1998, the collection has grown to over 100,000 letters, which is now housed at Chapman University.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 26 May 2025
Don’t miss the Barnes & Noble, which is cleverly housed in an old theater, Ante Bellums Attic Antique Shop, and Firefly Boutique for women’s clothing.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for house
Cite this Entry
“House.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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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