housing starts
noun
: the number of new houses that people started to build
Housing starts declined in September.
Examples of housing starts in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other economic data due this week includes housing starts and weekly initial jobless claims on Thursday, and the personal consumption expenditures index — the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation — on Friday.
—
Yun Li,sean Conlon,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
In 2025, housing starts, or the beginning of construction on a new residential building, were down 7% year-over-year, according to real estate data firm Zonda.
—Lily O'Neill, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2026
And when housing starts slow, so does lumber demand.
—Adam Taylor, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Building permits and new housing starts declined in August, continuing a steep drop-off since the spring.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for housing starts
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Yun Li,sean Conlon,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
In 2025, housing starts, or the beginning of construction on a new residential building, were down 7% year-over-year, according to real estate data firm Zonda.
—Lily O'Neill, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2026
And when housing starts slow, so does lumber demand.
—Adam Taylor, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Building permits and new housing starts declined in August, continuing a steep drop-off since the spring.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for housing starts
Cite this Entry
“Housing starts.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/housing%20starts. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
