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

The church expects as many as 25,000 people will pass through the building each day — more than 4 million total over the six-month open house. — Brandon Griggs, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

When people tour your home, whether through pictures or an open house, there’s more to the home that adds to the feel other than the color of your walls or hardwood floors. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2026

Upcoming opportunities in 2026 are expected to include a virtual stakeholder workshop, a virtual town hall and community open houses, although dates have not yet been finalized. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026

As in the April 2025 open house, village officials and consultants from Kimley-Horn listened to residents who offered feedback on what was needed to provide a safer, more walkable corridor along the Village Market Shopping corridor. — Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 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