tiny house

noun

plural tiny houses
: a small house or mobile home that typically has a floor plan of less than 500 square feet and that is usually designed for ergonomics and space efficiency
The Joneses are one of thousands of families around the United States who have chosen to live in a tiny house in the last few years. For some families, it's about saving money. Others love having a house they can move anywhere, because some are actually built on trailers and can be towed with a car.The New York Times Magazine
Now, students and recent graduates of Northwestern University are building a home that takes the tiny house concept one step further: a 128-square foot house that is totally off the grid, equipped with solar panels for energy, a battery bank that can store power for times when no solar power is available, and a system for harvesting rain water.Rebecca J. Rosen
sometimes hyphenated when used before another noun
The rhetoric of modern tiny-house living begins with the assertion that big houses, aside from being wasteful and environmentally noxious, are debtors' prisons …Alec Wilkinson

Examples of tiny house in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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View gallery - 10 images This striking metal-finish tiny house provides a spacious interior while remaining road-legal. New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2026 Inspired by a rustic cabin, this 20-foot tiny house could be your own private getaway. Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2025 Around the globe, from tiny houses to million-dollar mega-villas, House Hunters provides a spectacle of home architecture and design as well as insight into the home-buying process. Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025 Ornaments ranged from homemade crafts by her kids through the years to snowflakes, Christmas trees and tiny houses perfect for a Christmas village. Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tiny house

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tiny house was in 1987

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Cite this Entry

“Tiny house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiny%20house. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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