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

Some even buy this set for every bedroom in their house. — Lexie Sachs, Good Housekeeping, "The Best Quilt Sets for a Cozy Night's Sleep, According to Textile Experts," 20 Dec. 2018 There is no good reason to have a dead tree in your house. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Fake Christmas Trees Are the Future and That's a Good Thing for Everyone—and Their Carpets," 18 Dec. 2018 By all accounts, the capacity house of 3,000 was exhilarated by the musicians’ artistry. — John Edward Hasse, WSJ, "The Concert That Changed Music History," 24 Dec. 2018 Sign up for grocery delivery to get groceries delivered to your house in under an hour, even on Christmas Eve. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "Find Out Exactly What BJ's Holiday Hours Are," 21 Dec. 2018 Meanwhile, his government is about to face a no-confidence vote at the lower house of parliament. — Sylvie Corbet, The Seattle Times, "France’s Macron caught between protests, Strasbourg attack," 12 Dec. 2018 The multi-day wedding festivities started on Wednesday, November 28, with a puja, or a Hindu prayer ritual that Indian outlets are saying took place at the house of Chopra's mother. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Everything We Know About Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's Wedding So Far," 10 Nov. 2018 Had Democrats taken both houses of Congress, we maybe could have expected a regulatory shake-up. — Verge Staff, The Verge, "What the new Congress means for space, self-driving cars, and regulating Facebook," 7 Nov. 2018 Their aura of secrecy—mandated by Venetian law, which forbade any exterior sign for Jewish houses of worship—made them seem all the more precious. — Leslie Camhi, ELLE Decor, "Inside the World's Most Beautiful Synagogues," 5 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Ukraine mined coal and Latvia housed automotive factories. — Niree Noel, Allure, "The Evolution of Armenia’s Beauty Industry, According to Women Who Witnessed It," 27 July 2018 Three new agencies were formed in the massive reorganization and housed under DHS: ICE; CBP; and Immigration and Citizenship Services, which handles visas, green cards and naturalization. — NBC News, "Fact check: Critics call ICE a 'deportation force.' Are they right?," 11 July 2018 The Gaylord Building also houses a prominent art exhibition space, the Gallery Seven art gallery and is within walking distance of the Will County Historical Society. — Patrick Z. Mcgavin, Daily Southtown, "Guide to outdoor dining in Chicago suburbs: Public Landing in Lockport," 8 July 2018 Speaking of the box, the hardware is housed in a lightweight and accurate miniature replica of the original PlayStation itself. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "PlayStation Classic review: A far-from-classic experience," 27 Nov. 2018 Like the kilogram standards, the Kibble balance is housed deep underground at NIST. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "The world is about to redefine the kilogram," 15 Nov. 2018 But unlike the iPhone X, XS, and XR, the new iPad Pro lacks a notch; its Face ID components are housed in the top, flat bezel. — Chris Welch, The Verge, "Apple’s new iPad Pro has Face ID, USB-C, and slimmer bezels than ever before," 30 Oct. 2018 We are housed at New York Law School and, since our inception, have been located just a few blocks from the immigration court in New York. — Lauren Blodgett, Glamour, "I Represent Migrant Children in Immigration Court. This Is What It's Like.," 26 July 2018 Currently, more than 11,800 children, from a few months old to 17, are housed in nearly 90 facilities in 15 states. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: GOP candidates caught in a bind on Medicaid," 13 July 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