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

Saturday and Sunday are popular days for real estate agents to hold open houses in New Jersey, with higher demand for homes near train stations. —Matthew Haag, New York Times, 17 May 2025

There is no staging, no open houses, and none of the disruptions when listing through a typical real estate agent. —Kc Property Group, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2025

She’s held more open houses, sent out more fliers and posted about her properties on social media. —Derek Gilliam, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025

What's next: IFC is holding an open house Saturday 11am-1pm to increase membership and revenue. 4944 Franklin Ave. —Jason Clayworth, Axios, 24 Mar. 2025

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