open house

noun

1

: ready and usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers

2

: a house or apartment open for inspection especially by prospective buyers or tenants

Examples of open house in a Sentence

Westside High School will host an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. today, and all parents are invited to attend.

colleges holding open houses for prospective students

We held an open house last week in the hopes that someone would offer to buy our house.

They kept open house, and in the evenings neighbors would stop by to talk or play music.

They always kept an open house for visitors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Following the formal remarks, attendees gathered for the official ribbon cutting before dispersing throughout the corridor for an open house, live jazz performances and visiting businesses across the district. —Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026

This is a different event from the Mansfield Stadium open house earlier this week that was postponed. —Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2026

This is part of an open house series that occurs the third Tuesday of each month. —Elizabeth Green, AJC.com, 28 May 2026

The Colorado Department of Transportation hosted an open house in mid-May that drew about 300 people, according to Westword. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for open house

• boardinghouse
• charterhouse
• clearinghouse
• coffeehouse
• customhouse
• firehouse
• meetinghouse
• motherhouse
• packinghouse
• pilothouse
• powerhouse
• slaughterhouse

Kids Definition

open house

noun

: usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers