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

Last month, Turnpike officials held an open house to discuss the status of the ongoing project that will extend the expressway from Route 51 in Jefferson Hills to the Parkway East in Monroeville. —Mike Darnay, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026

The decision comes days after the first AES Indiana community open house for the year was canceled. —Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 6 Mar. 2026

The weekend, which started with a men’s volleyball match against UCLA, featured open houses and school tours, a community brunch and class celebrations, among other events. —Heather McRea, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026

Summer recreation preview Campbell Recreation is holding an open house on March 7 for families to preview summer activities on offer and meet the instructors. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 1 Mar. 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