residence

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noun res·i·dence \ˈre-zə-dən(t)s, ˈrez-dən(t)s, ˈre-zə-ˌden(t)s\

Definition of residence

1a : the act or fact of dwelling in a place for some timeb : the act or fact of living or regularly staying at or in some place for the discharge of a duty or the enjoyment of a benefit
2a (1) : the place where one actually lives as distinguished from one's domicile or a place of temporary sojourn (2) : domicile 2ab : the place where a corporation is actually or officially establishedc : the status of a legal resident
3a : a building used as a home : dwellingb : housing or a unit of housing provided for students
4a : the period or duration of abode in a placeb : a period of active and especially full-time study, research, or teaching at a college or university

in residence

: engaged to live and work at a particular place often for a specified time poet in residence at a university

See residence defined for English-language learners

See residence defined for kids

Examples of residence in a Sentence

He recently ended his residence at the apartment complex.
They were granted residence in this country.

Recent Examples of residence from the Web

UMKC will expand housing in all four residence facilities that cover both Volker and Hospital Hill campuses, including Johnson Hall, while KU will open an entire wing of Lewis Hall to gender-inclusive housing in the fall.

— lily oppenheimer, kansascity, "As gender-inclusive housing expands at UMKC, KU, other universities remain in limbo", 4 July 2017
Please include your name and town of residence for publication.

— Naperville Sun, "Letters to the editor: Roundup, Naper Settlement, Carillon, dog rescue", 29 June 2017
On June 19, a pair of attacks at a mosque and nearby residence—likely carried out by Boko Haram—killed 12 people.

— aria bendix, The Atlantic, "Bombers Kill Nine in Back-to-Back Blasts in Nigeria", 26 June 2017
Fans of retro TV should recognize Birdie’s massive residence thanks to its weekly appearance as the Governor’s Mansion on the popular 1979 sitcom Benson.

— lindsay blake, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here’s Where to Find All of the L.A. Locations You Saw in GLOW", 26 June 2017
The residence was littered with garbage and bags of clothing, and roaches were crawling in the kitchen, according to the affidavit.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Trial of Gary man charged in infant son's death to begin Monday", 22 June 2017
Using their own residence to foster art-making and communal empowerment, Monet and Selah are kindred spirits of every artist and revolutionary who’ve turned their home into a salon, a free zone, a temple of refuge.

— monica uszerowicz, miamiherald, "Miami poet Aja Monet makes us cry — and wants to help others do the same", 22 June 2017
On May 26, the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force carried out a search warrant at Piccolo's residence in the 1400 block of Sixth Street Tuscaloosa in Tuscaloosa.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "22-year-old sought after raid turns up $18k in drugs, nearly $60k in cash", 22 June 2017
Boiselle said three people staying at the residence had been taken in for questioning.

— mike householder, The Seattle Times, "Canadian charged in US airport attack investigated as terror", 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'residence'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of residence

14th century

RESIDENCE Defined for English Language Learners

residence

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noun

Definition of residence for English Language Learners

: the state of living in a particular place
: the place where someone lives
: legal permission to live in a country

RESIDENCE Defined for Kids

residence

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noun res·i·dence \ˈre-zə-dəns\

Definition of residence for Students

1 : the act or fact of living in a place
2 : a building used for a home
3 : the time during which a person lives in a place

Law Dictionary

residence

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noun res·i·dence \ˈre-zə-dəns\

Legal Definition of residence

1 : the act or fact of living in a place
2a : the place where one actually lives as distinguished from a domicile or place of temporary sojourn a person can have more than one residence but only one domicile Editor's note: A distinction is usually maintained between domicile and residence based on the relative permanency of a domicile and the intent to make it a principal place of abode. In some contexts, however, such as for determining proper venue domicile and residence are used as synonyms. Similarly residence and domicile are sometimes used as synonyms with regard to the place of incorporation of a business. b : a place in which a corporation does business or is licensed to do business
3 : the status of a resident
4 : dwelling