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

During the farm's open houses, guests can wander through the peony fields and choose their favorite flowers, and employees of Electric Moon will cut them for you. —Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 11 Apr. 2026

According to the motion, a witness in a home next to the open house saw Ramsey after having heard two loud thuds that investigators believe were gunshots. —Karen Cortes, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026

Registration for the free open house is encouraged but not required. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026

The Borrego Springs Dark Sky Welcome Center open house is on April 13. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 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