house

noun, often attributive

\ ˈhau̇s

plural houses\ ˈhau̇-zəz

also -səz

Definition of house

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

2a(1) : a shelter or refuge (such as a nest or den) of a wild animal

(2) : a natural covering (such as a test or shell) that encloses and protects an animal or a colony of zooids

b : a building in which something is sheltered or stored a carriage house

3a 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

4a : household woke up the whole house

b : a family including ancestors, descendants, and kindred the house of Tudor

5a : a residence for a religious community or for students a fraternity house

b : the community or students living in such a residence

6a government : a legislative, deliberative, or consultative assembly especially : one constituting a division of a bicameral body a bill approved by both houses of Congress

b : the building or chamber where such an assembly meets

c : a quorum of such an assembly

7a : a place of business or entertainment a movie house the local fish house a house of prostitution

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

on the house

: without charge : free

house

verb

\ ˈhau̇z

housed; housing

Definition of house (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : 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

3 : to serve as a shelter or container for : contain buildings that house government offices

intransitive verb

: to take shelter : lodge

House

biographical name

\ ˈhau̇s

Definition of House (Entry 3 of 3)

Edward Mandell 1858–1938 Colonel House American diplomat

Other Words from house Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about house

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Other Words from house

Noun

houseful \ ˈhau̇s-ˌfu̇l

\ noun

houseless \ ˈhau̇-sləs

\ adjective

houselessness noun

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: Noun

Egypt is attempting to halt the auction of a 3,000-year-old statue of King Tutankhamun at auction house Christie’s in London. — Fox News, "King Tut statue sparks row as Egypt attempts to halt auction," 12 June 2019 The investment house known for corporate takeovers has agreed to pump another $250 million into Toorak Capital Partners LLC, which buys short-term loans made to real-estate investors who purchase, renovate and resell residential properties. — Ryan Dezember, WSJ, "KKR Doubles Down on House Flippers," 12 June 2019 Now row after row of white plastic hoop houses sprawl amid rolling vineyards and country estates, and coastal bungalows and schools carry the whiff of backcountry Humboldt. — Joe Mozingo, latimes.com, "The world’s largest pot farms, and how Santa Barbara opened the door," 12 June 2019 The characters of Pose, the house mothers and queens and LGBTQ voguers who congregated in Season 1 to compete against each other’s exuberant charades, are asserting their presence in a world that’s usually ill-inclined to receive it. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "Pose Lets In the Light," 12 June 2019 In retirement, Carl would spend time at Ray's garage with friends, at breakfast on a weekly basis with a regular group, and at his brother, Kenny's, house with his nephews. — courant.com, "Carl Michael Spring," 11 June 2019 Combining bitters, rich syrup and blended house bourbon, the mixture is placed in a barrel with garden roses, eucalyptus and orange peels. — Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, "Bottoms up! 6 ways to celebrate National Bourbon Day in Louisville," 11 June 2019 The show was inspired by a real-life New York City boarding house that welcomed young women for 60 years. — Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida Festival of New Musicals returns to Winter Park Playhouse," 11 June 2019 The single-family property houses three bedrooms and five bathrooms and was built last year. — Mario Sanelli, The Denver Post, "Why would someone tear down a $2.1 million home in Boulder? To build this $7.5 million house, of course.," 11 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Sacred Heart facility would then house complimentary health care services that could include outpatient surgery, specialty physician clinics and primary care, among other things, Phelps said. — al.com, "Orange Beach-USA partner to put doctors on new city ambulances," 5 June 2019 As of Sunday, officials were unable to access the computers that would have housed Craddock's disciplinary records because of the active crime scene, the official said. — David Shortell, CNN, "He resigned from his job, then killed 12 people. Police don't know why," 4 June 2019 In order to reach the moon, the Saturn V wouldn’t house just one of these massive engines. — Alex Hollings, Popular Mechanics, "The Saturn V Story: From Nazi Roots to America's Moon Rocket," 6 Feb. 2019 The former Loring Air Force Base in far northern Maine would serve as the launch site, while the former Brunswick Naval Air Station closer to the state's busy coast would house mission control. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Rokot ending, more spaceports, back-to-back Falcon Heavies," 21 Dec. 2018 That said, Samsung could be exploring the idea of a slider phone that would house the selfie camera and other components somewhere outside their usual location. — Chris Welch, The Verge, "Samsung will put notches on its future phones," 7 Nov. 2018 Other developers are making similar moves: Boston Properties has proposed an 18-story tower at 325 Main Street that would potentially house new Google offices. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "As top innovation hub expands, can straining local infrastructure keep pace?," 6 Nov. 2018 When it was announced that the new initiative would be housed in a renovated unit and emphasize rehabilitation and personal achievement, Jones was pleaded with to consider it. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "Inside a Radical Experiment to Transform the Lives of Incarcerated Women," 22 Aug. 2018 Jeff Hermanson, who owns Latimer Square, tells Rubino that the towers, which would house a hotel, bar, restaurant and apartments would be a pathway to fund the necessary preservation work. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Route 66 and 10 Other Sites That Made the 2018 “Most Endangered Historic Places” List," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'house.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for house

house

noun

English Language Learners Definition of house

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a building in which a family lives

: the people who live in a house

: a structure or shelter in which animals are kept

house

verb

English Language Learners Definition of house (Entry 2 of 2)

: to provide shelter or a living space for (someone)

: to be a shelter for (something) : to store or contain (something)

: to surround or enclose (something) in order to protect it

See the full definition for house in the English Language Learners Dictionary

house

noun

\ ˈhau̇s

plural houses\ ˈhau̇-zəz \

Kids Definition of house

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a place built for people to live in

2 : something (as a nest or den) used by an animal for shelter

3 : a building in which something is kept a carriage house

4 : household entry 1 Her noise woke up the whole house.

5 : a body of persons assembled to make the laws for a country The United States Congress is made up of two houses.

6 : a business firm a publishing house

7 : the audience in a theater or concert hall

8 : family sense 2 the house of Windsor

on the house

: free of charge Dessert is on the house.

house

verb

\ ˈhau̇z

housed; housing

Kids Definition of house (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to provide with living quarters or shelter

2 : contain sense 2 All three movies are housed in a single set.

house

noun

Legal Definition of house

1a : a building (as a single or multiple family house, apartment, or hotel room) serving as living quarters and usually including the curtilage

b : a building (as one's residence or a locked place of business) in which one is entitled to protection (as from warrantless searches and seizures) under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

2a : a legislative assembly especially that constitutes a division of a bicameral body

b : the building or chamber where such an assembly meets

c : a quorum of such an assembly