house·hold
ˈhau̇s-ˌhōld 
ˈhau̇-ˌsōld
: those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family
also
: a social unit composed of those living together in the same dwelling
Synonyms
Examples of household in a Sentence
Noun
At that time, not many households had telephones.
the dish became a household word because of the sudden popularity of the cuisine
Adjective
they spent the weekend at home, attending to household chores
“ozone” is now a household word, thanks to global warming
Recent Examples on the Web
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Eclipse viewers can be made out of common household items such as cereal boxes, colanders, and cardboard or paper tubes.
—Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
If your household is eligible, there is no action necessary to receive the credit.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
If a larger share of China’s gross domestic product went to bolster household income, such as through funding for education, consumer spending would rise as a share of GDP, increasing domestic demand.
—Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
To safeguard your vision, here's how to make a box pinhole projector with common household items.
—John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2024
It’s been a strange and maddening couple of years for consumers, with prices of essential goods soaring and then sinking, turning household budgets upside down.
—Lydia Depillis Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The number of households participating in the ACP is even greater than those participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
—Gigi Sohn, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
Upholstered household furniture is not allowed in the campgrounds.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 28 Mar. 2024
Kara Nelson, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Hancock said in the statement that his family canceled their traditional multi-household Thanksgiving celebration.
—NBC News, 25 Nov. 2020
Stress, overexertion and seasonal factors are some of the most common non-household triggers.
—Talis Shelbourne, jsonline.com, 26 Aug. 2022
In 2022, Netflix limited password-sharing in Latin America, asking members to pay an additional fee to share their accounts with non-household members.
—Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2023
To address this, Netflix is testing ways for subscribers in certain countries such as Peru and Chile to pay $2 to $3 more to add non-household members to their plans.
—Wendy Leestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022
The toughest restrictions since the pandemic began are to go into effect today, including an unprecedented move to limit multi-household gatherings on private premises to two families.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2022
The toughest restrictions since the pandemic began are set to come into effect on Thursday, including an unprecedented move to limit multi-household gatherings on private premises to two families.
—Shirley Zhao, Bloomberg.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Non-household members visited us outside in the backyard.
—Rob Relyea, CNN, 13 Apr. 2022
Noun
For those who may want to move out of their mother’s basement, rent has also more than doubled in the past 20 years while the median household income has increased just 10%, per the St. Louis Fed.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Eclipse viewers can be made out of common household items such as cereal boxes, colanders, and cardboard or paper tubes.
—Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
If your household is eligible, there is no action necessary to receive the credit.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
If a larger share of China’s gross domestic product went to bolster household income, such as through funding for education, consumer spending would rise as a share of GDP, increasing domestic demand.
—Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
To safeguard your vision, here's how to make a box pinhole projector with common household items.
—John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2024
It’s been a strange and maddening couple of years for consumers, with prices of essential goods soaring and then sinking, turning household budgets upside down.
—Lydia Depillis Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The number of households participating in the ACP is even greater than those participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
—Gigi Sohn, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
Upholstered household furniture is not allowed in the campgrounds.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Sources of 2023 household debt in the US include:
Credit Cards: $1.13 trillion
Mortgage: $12.25 trillion
Auto Loans: 1.61 trillion
Student Loans: $1.6 trillion
Outstanding balances also include debt from retail credit cards, consumer loans and other non-household expenses.
—Kara Nelson, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Hancock said in the statement that his family canceled their traditional multi-household Thanksgiving celebration.
—NBC News, 25 Nov. 2020
Stress, overexertion and seasonal factors are some of the most common non-household triggers.
—Talis Shelbourne, jsonline.com, 26 Aug. 2022
In 2022, Netflix limited password-sharing in Latin America, asking members to pay an additional fee to share their accounts with non-household members.
—Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2023
To address this, Netflix is testing ways for subscribers in certain countries such as Peru and Chile to pay $2 to $3 more to add non-household members to their plans.
—Wendy Leestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022
The toughest restrictions since the pandemic began are to go into effect today, including an unprecedented move to limit multi-household gatherings on private premises to two families.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2022
The toughest restrictions since the pandemic began are set to come into effect on Thursday, including an unprecedented move to limit multi-household gatherings on private premises to two families.
—Shirley Zhao, Bloomberg.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Non-household members visited us outside in the backyard.
—Rob Relyea, CNN, 13 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'household.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near household
Cite this Entry
“Household.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/household. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
household
1 of 2 noun
house·hold
ˈhau̇s-ˌhōld
ˈhau̇-ˌsōld
: those who live as a family in one house
also
: a social unit made up of those living together in the same house
household
2 of 2 adjective1
: of or relating to a household : domestic
2
: familiar entry 2 sense 3a, common
a household word
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