outhouse

noun

out·​house ˈau̇t-ˌhau̇s 

plural outhouses ˈau̇t-ˌhau̇-zəz 

 also  -səz

: outbuilding

… barns, stables, and other outhouses …

—Wayne R. LaFave and Austin W. Scott, Jr.

especially : privy sense 1a

They lived in an off-the-grid cabin with an out-door kitchen and an outhouse.

—Diane Daniel

Royal Cove's official outhouse didn't have a name, so we dubbed it Maggie's Loo, in honor of Princess Margaret of Great Britain.

—John Vigor

He calls an outhouse a toilet, because the only toilets his family had while he was growing up were outhouses.

—David Owen

Examples of outhouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Missouri Town’s many structures were selected to provide a comprehensive view of the time period and include homes, businesses, a church, livery stable, school, tavern/inn, stagecoach stop, outhouse and smokehouse. —Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025

Each outhouse must contain a toilet seat and a roll of toilet paper—and be fully operational. —Teaghan Skulszki, Outside Online, 4 July 2025

Come spring, the Ranger III carries everything from outhouses and diesel fuel for the generators to construction supplies to repair whatever damage Mother Nature did to facilities over the harsh winter. —Diana Lambdin Meyer, USA Today, 28 June 2025

His father was not a provider, although his mother was imaginative and resourceful in a two-room shack with a natural spring for water and an outhouse. —Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for outhouse

• alehouse
• almshouse
• backhouse
• baghouse
• bakehouse
• bathhouse
• bauhaus
• blockhouse
• boathouse
• brewhouse
• bunkhouse
• clubhouse

Kids Definition

outhouse

noun

out·​house ˈau̇t-ˌhau̇s 

: outbuilding

especially : privy entry 2 sense 1