Definition of house
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
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
—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
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 Save room for a soufflé, the century-long house specialty …— Thomas P. Farley a house cocktail [=a cocktail whose recipe was created by the bar, restaurant, etc. at which it is served]
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
housed; housing
Definition of house (Entry 2 of 2)
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
: to take shelter : lodge
Buying Guide
The Reviews team is passionate about cleaning and reviewed the Shark Vertex Pro Vacuum.
Test Your Vocabulary
Odd Habits and Quirks
-
- Which of the following best describes an easily irritated person?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share house
Time Traveler for house
The first known use of house was before the 12th century
See more words from the same century