house

noun, often attributive \ ˈhau̇s \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: house in a Sentence

Definition of house

plural houses play \ˈhau̇-zəz also -səz\

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 a (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

3 a astrology : one of the 12 equal sectors (see ¹sector 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

b : the building or chamber where such an assembly meets

c : a quorum of such an assembly

7 a : 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

[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

—

houseful

play \ˈhau̇s-ˌfu̇l\ noun

—

houseless

play \ˈhau̇-sləs\ adjective

—

houselessness

noun

— on the house

: without charge : free

See house defined for English-language learners

See house defined for kids

Examples of house in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of house from the Web

The informant and the two undercover ATF agents followed Smith and arrived at the house on Kentucky Street shortly before noon, the complaint states.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Third man charged from Gary shootout that injured ATF agent," 11 June 2018
Boyd died at his mother's house in Sikeston, Missouri on Sunday night, according to Scott County Coroner Scott Amick.

— sandra gonzalez, CNN, "'Americas Got Talent' winner Neal E. Boyd dead," 11 June 2018
The Platte County Sheriff's Department went to the house near in the 14000 block of NW 63rd Street in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood outside of Parkville about 9:15 p.m. Sunday on reports of a shooting.

— robert a. cronkleton, kansascity, "Four people shot, killed in Northland home; all were adults," 11 June 2018
The explosion was reported at a house in East Cleveland Sunday afternoon, Cleveland fire officials said.

— Fox News, "Ohio house explosion leaves 1 dead, another critically injured, officials say," 10 June 2018
The victim, a woman, had fled the home and went to a neighbor's house to report the assault.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "Garden City man charged with rape after allegedly zip tying victim, police say," 10 June 2018
His doctor came to the house on May 31 to go over results from an MRI — shredded ligaments in his left knee, a double stress fracture in his lower leg.

— doug ferguson, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Ten years after a thrilling U.S. Open victory, Tiger Woods hasn't won another major. Can he do it again?," 10 June 2018
According to Atlanta police, Mitchell shot 31-year-old Ernest Baker Jr. at the house in the 100 block of West Lake Avenue just before midnight May 28.

— raisa habersham, ajc, "Gunman in deadly Atlanta rooming house shooting arrested," 8 June 2018
Alhassan is also charged with burglary and theft after being linked to a May 10 break-in at a house in the 7100 block of Honeyladen Place.

— jess nocera, Howard County Times, "Columbia man charged with string of robberies targeting elderly women," 6 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.

Origin and Etymology of house

Middle English hous, from Old English hūs; akin to Old High German hūs house

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

house Synonyms

Synonyms

abode, diggings, domicile, dwelling, fireside, habitation, hearth, hearthstone, home, lodging, pad, place, quarters, residence, roof;

bungalow, cabin, casita, chalet, cottage;

duplex, ranch, ranch house, saltbox, split level, townhome, town house, tract house, triplex;

apartment, apartment house, condominium, flat, tenement, tenement house, walk-up;

penthouse, salon, suite;

barracks, billet, boardinghouse, dorm, dormitory, lodging house, lodgment (or lodgement), room(s), rooming house;

castle, château, countryseat, estate, hall, manor, manor house, mansion, palace, villa;

farmhouse, grange, hacienda, homestead;

hermitage, manse, parsonage, rectory, vicarage;

hovel, hut, hutch, shack, shanty;

house

verb \ ˈhau̇z \

Definition of house

housed; housing

transitive verb

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 ¹house)

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

See house defined for English-language learners

Examples of house in a Sentence

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 of house from the Web

Fulton says one of his most popular is the Camp Kitchen 2.0 ($1,700), a large drawer that houses a slide-out mobile fridge and stove down below and a storage shelf up top.

— jakob schiller, Outside Online, "Why You Need Drawers for Your Truck," 12 June 2018
Philabundance will use its $2 million grant toward the construction of a 19,960 square-foot free-standing facility that will house a production and training kitchen, office and classroom space, locker rooms, and flexible community space.

— harold brubaker, Philly.com, "Three Philadelphia nonprofits receive state development grants," 11 June 2018
Campers are offered 19 tent sites, 18 RV sites and a secluded group site that can house 100 people.

— jerry garcia, San Antonio Express-News, "State parks abound in the San Antonio area," 11 June 2018
The sleek building that houses the Timken Museum of Art serves as an excellent foundation for a visit.

— g. james daichendt, sandiegouniontribune.com, "5 must-see San Diego visual arts experiences," 10 June 2018
The area that houses the Rocky Mountains will see it at 4:46 p.m.

— john cherwa, latimes.com, "What time is the Belmont Stakes?," 9 June 2018
High above the action steelworkers installed beams and girders for the multilevel building that will eventually house football operations.

— brad biggs, chicagotribune.com, "Ten questions for the Bears looking ahead to Matt Nagy's first training camp," 8 June 2018
Members of the Poor People's Campaign were told they weren't welcome there — in the people's building that houses lawmakers, the state Supreme Court and the governor himself.

— joseph gerth, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky State Police stomp on inalienable rights of protesters at Capitol," 5 June 2018
Read more: The new restaurant was first announced in early 2018, following a year-long search by the San Marino Club for a new tenant to fill the space that previously housed Tre Monti.

— mark kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "Cantoro Italian Trattoria opens in former Tre Monti space in Troy," 5 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of house

see ¹house

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

house Synonyms

Synonyms

box (in), cage, closet, coop (up), corral, encase, enclose (also inclose), envelop, fence (in), hedge, hem (in), immure, include, mew (up), pen, wall (in);

encircle, encompass, enfold, enframe, enlace, frame, ring, surround;

armor, cocoon, encapsulate, encapsule, encyst, ensheathe, ensphere, enwomb;

House

biographical name \ ˈhau̇s \

Definition of House

Edward Mandell 1858–1938 Colonel House American diplomat

HOUSE Defined for English Language Learners

house

noun

Definition of house for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of house for English Language Learners

: 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

HOUSE Defined for Kids

house

noun \ ˈhau̇s \

Definition of house for Students

plural houses \ˈhau̇-zəz\

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 : ¹household

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 2

the house of Windsor

— on the house

: free of charge

Dessert is on the house.

house

verb \ ˈhau̇z \

Definition of house for Students

housed; housing

1 : to provide with living quarters or shelter

2 : contain 2

All three movies are housed in a single set.

Law Dictionary

house

noun

legal Definition of house

1 a : 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

2 a : 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