house
1 of 2noun
ˈhau̇s 
plural houses ˈhau̇-zəz
also
-səz often attributive
1
: a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few families : home
invited them to her house for dinner
a two-family house
2
a(1)
: a shelter or refuge (such as a nest or den) of a wild animal
(2)
: a natural covering (such as a test or shell) that encloses and protects an animal or a colony of zooids
b
: a building in which something is sheltered or stored
a carriage house
3
a
astrology : one of the 12 equal sectors (see sector entry 1 sense 1a) in which the celestial sphere is divided
b
astrology : a sign of the zodiac that is the seat of a planet's greatest influence
the house occupied by Jupiter
4
a
: household
woke up the whole house
b
: a family including ancestors, descendants, and kindred
the house of Tudor
5
a
: a residence for a religious community or for students
a fraternity house
b
: the community or students living in such a residence
6
a
government : a legislative, deliberative, or consultative assembly
especially : one constituting a division of a bicameral body
a bill approved by both houses of Congress
—often used in capitalized form as the shortened name of a specific house The bill passed in both the House and the Senate. MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Government's Brexit Bill in the House of Commons. … The House voted in favour of the bill by 498 to 114 … —
Chloe Chaplain
Chloe Chaplain b
: the building or chamber where such an assembly meets
c
: a quorum of such an assembly
7
a
: a place of business or entertainment
a movie house
the local fish house
a house of prostitution
Save room for a soufflé, the century-long house specialty …—Thomas P. Farley
Thomas P. Farleya house cocktail [=a cocktail whose recipe was created by the bar, restaurant, etc. at which it is served]
b(1)
: a business organization
a publishing house
(2)
: a gambling establishment
c
: the audience in a theater or concert hall
a full house on opening night
8
curling : the circular area 12 feet in diameter surrounding the tee and within which a curling stone must rest in order to count
9
[from The Warehouse, Chicago dance club that pioneered the style] : a type of dance music mixed by a disc jockey that features overdubbing with a heavy repetitive drumbeat and repeated electronic melody lines
houseful
ˈhau̇s-ˌfu̇l
noun houseless
ˈhau̇-sləs
adjective houselessness noun
house
2 of 2verb
ˈhau̇z
housed; housing
transitive verb
1
a
: to provide with living quarters or shelter
a place to house their guests
b
: to store in a building
the barn where they house their boat
2
: to encase, enclose, or shelter as if by putting in a house (see house entry 1)
so timorous a soul housed in so impressive a body—A. W. Long
A. W. Long3
: to serve as a shelter or container for : contain
buildings that house government offices
intransitive verb
: to take shelter : lodge
Synonyms
Noun
- business
- company
- concern
- enterprise
- establishment
- firm
- interest
- outfit
Verb
- accommodate
- bestow
- billet
- bivouac
- board
- bunk
- camp
- chamber
- domicile
- encamp
- harbor
- lodge
- put up
- quarter
- roof
- room
- shelter
- take in
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Would you like to come to my house for dinner? I spent the weekend just puttering around the house. He made enough noise to wake the whole house. Verb More prisons are needed to house the growing number of inmates. The museum houses an impressive collection of jewels. The carpenter built casing to house the hot water pipes. See More
Recent Examples on the WebEdward Segarra, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2023 Previously, a representative said the university’s permission was not needed to use the Stanford faculty house for Bankman-Fried’s bail. —Kiera Feldmanstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023 His brother, 38 at the time, survived and later told police he had been ambushed while trying to take photographs of the second floor of their family's house in Mattapan. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2023 With that momentum, the Help Not Harm bill passed the state house by a margin of 60 to 10 and the state senate by a vote of 30 to 4. —The Editors, National Review, 16 Feb. 2023 The camps house mostly nonviolent offenders who are serving short sentences or who committed white-collar crimes, according to Cevallos and criminal defense attorney Alan Ellis. —Julianne Mcshane, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2023 Cathy Torres was with the children all the time and managed the money and the house, James said. —Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2023 Bronson officials said that few options exist that could be activated in the next three months to house or shelter all of the people who have been using winter shelter. —Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Feb. 2023 Wales was eventually freed and bought her first house in Lexington just a month before Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated. —Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 16 Feb. 2023 Julia Carmelstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2023 Grab one — or more — colors to house your plants in a vibrant way. —Lauren Fischer, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2023 Manuel Obando, another contractor who specializes in restoration work, spent more than $81,000 to house about 150 men in a Hampton Inn near the Fort Myers airport for two weeks. —Deborah Acosta, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2023 Goldman Sachs plans to house thousands of employees in its three-building office campus to be built on Field Street next of Victory Park. —Dallas News, 3 Jan. 2023 Helsinki, the Finnish capital, has an expansive underground development – complete with subterranean church and swimming pool – originally intended as a space to house the city’s entire population in the event of a nuclear attack. —Samantha Bresnahan, CNN, 21 Dec. 2022 Alden is a large, for-profit nursing facility network operating more than 50 facilities that house thousands of residents in Illinois, with more than $250 million in annual revenue. —Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2022 Why not house the chronically homeless people first, then tend to their problems? —Tracy Kidder, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023 To really put a dent in visible homelessness, Bass will need to galvanize a wide array of resources to produce structures to house people on the streets. —Ethan Ward, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2022 See More
Noun
Westwood's eponymous fashion house announced her death in late December on social media, revealing the designer died peacefully surrounded by family. —Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2023 Previously, a representative said the university’s permission was not needed to use the Stanford faculty house for Bankman-Fried’s bail. —Kiera Feldmanstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023 His brother, 38 at the time, survived and later told police he had been ambushed while trying to take photographs of the second floor of their family's house in Mattapan. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2023 With that momentum, the Help Not Harm bill passed the state house by a margin of 60 to 10 and the state senate by a vote of 30 to 4. —The Editors, National Review, 16 Feb. 2023 The camps house mostly nonviolent offenders who are serving short sentences or who committed white-collar crimes, according to Cevallos and criminal defense attorney Alan Ellis. —Julianne Mcshane, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2023 Cathy Torres was with the children all the time and managed the money and the house, James said. —Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2023 Bronson officials said that few options exist that could be activated in the next three months to house or shelter all of the people who have been using winter shelter. —Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Feb. 2023 Wales was eventually freed and bought her first house in Lexington just a month before Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated. —Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 16 Feb. 2023 Verb
The executive directive is one step toward her promise to house 17,000 people in her first year in office. —Julia Carmelstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2023 Grab one — or more — colors to house your plants in a vibrant way. —Lauren Fischer, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2023 Manuel Obando, another contractor who specializes in restoration work, spent more than $81,000 to house about 150 men in a Hampton Inn near the Fort Myers airport for two weeks. —Deborah Acosta, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2023 Goldman Sachs plans to house thousands of employees in its three-building office campus to be built on Field Street next of Victory Park. —Dallas News, 3 Jan. 2023 Helsinki, the Finnish capital, has an expansive underground development – complete with subterranean church and swimming pool – originally intended as a space to house the city’s entire population in the event of a nuclear attack. —Samantha Bresnahan, CNN, 21 Dec. 2022 Alden is a large, for-profit nursing facility network operating more than 50 facilities that house thousands of residents in Illinois, with more than $250 million in annual revenue. —Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2022 Why not house the chronically homeless people first, then tend to their problems? —Tracy Kidder, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023 To really put a dent in visible homelessness, Bass will need to galvanize a wide array of resources to produce structures to house people on the streets. —Ethan Ward, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English hous, from Old English hūs; akin to Old High German hūs house
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Phrases Containing house
Kids Definition
house
1 of 2 noun ˈhau̇s
plural houses ˈhau̇-zəz
1
: a building in which one or more families live
2
a
: something (as a nest or den) used by an animal for shelter
b
: a building in which something is stored
carriage house
3
a
: one of the 12 equal sections into which the celestial sphere is divided in astrology
b
: a sign of the zodiac that is the seat of a planet's greatest influence
4
a
: household entry 1
b
: family sense 2
especially : a royal or noble family
5
: a residence for a religious community or for students
6
: a body of persons assembled to make and discuss laws
7
a
: a place of business or entertainment
went to a movie house
b
: a business firm
a publishing house
c
: the audience in a theater or concert hall
played to a full house
house
2 of 2 verb ˈhau̇z
housed; housing
1
a
: to provide with living quarters or shelter
b
: to store in a house
2
: to encase or enclose as if by putting in a house
3
: to take shelter : lodge
Legal Definition
house
noun1
a
: a building (as a single or multiple family house, apartment, or hotel room) serving as living quarters and usually including the curtilage
b
: a building (as one's residence or a locked place of business) in which one is entitled to protection (as from warrantless searches and seizures) under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
2
a
: a legislative assembly especially that constitutes a division of a bicameral body
b
: the building or chamber where such an assembly meets
c
: a quorum of such an assembly
Biographical Definition
House
biographical name
ˈhau̇s
Edward Mandell 1858–1938 Colonel House American diplomat
houses 1 of 2
noun
1
as in companies
a commercial or industrial activity or organization a publishing house that specializes in school textbooks Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- companies
- firms
- businesses
- enterprises
- corporations
- interests
- associations
- establishments
- agencies
- outfits
- concerns
- dealers
- outlets
- conglomerates
- chains
- trusts
- multinationals
- syndicates
- cartels
- combines
- microenterprises
2
as in families
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor the present British royal family belongs to the House of Windsor Synonyms & Similar Words
- families
- tribes
- clans
- people
- households
- races
- folks
- stocks
- lineages
- descendants
- dynasties
- kins
- blood
- kinfolks
- kindreds
- lines
- kinsfolk
- relatives
- descendents
- blended families
- seeds
- extended families
- nuclear families
- kiths
- offspring
- broods
- issues
- seed
- scions
- progenies
- clansmen
- offsprings
- kinsmen
- kinswomen
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- origins
- pedigrees
- births
- extractions
- descents
- ancestries
3
as in residences
the place where one lives come over to my house so I can show you my new furniture Synonyms & Similar Words
- residences
- dwellings
- homes
- roofs
- abodes
- apartments
- places
- cottages
- housings
- lodgings
- mansions
- rooms
- cabins
- quarters
- residencies
- bungalows
- habitations
- domiciles
- farmhouses
- hearths
- villas
- hearthstones
- estates
- firesides
- castles
- ranches
- shelters
- huts
- dormitories
- condos
- nests
- condominiums
- homesteads
- diggings
- pads
- shacks
- flats
- palaces
- manors
- barracks
- accommodations
- chalets
- duplexes
- penthouses
- rectories
- tenements
- dorms
- haciendas
- boardinghouses
- townhomes
- town houses
- suites
- apartment houses
- ranch houses
- tract houses
- casitas
- trailers
- tenement houses
- halls
- triplexes
- flophouses
- salons
- manor houses
- manses
- hovels
- parsonages
- rooming houses
- lodging houses
- granges
- houseboats
- billets
- shanties
- house trailers
- semis
- vicarages
- recreational vehicles
- saltboxes
- châteaus
- mobile homes
- split levels
- hermitages
- motor homes
- condominia
- McMansions
- hutches
- châteaux
- walk-ups
- lodgements
- hooches
- double-wides
- countryseats
- lodgments
- RVs
- hootches
4
as in households
those who live as a family in one house the whole house is in a state of excited anticipation for the holidays Synonyms & Similar Words
- households
- homes
- extended families
- communities
- clans
- ménages
- folks
- broods
- kinfolks
- kindreds
- kinsfolk
- kins
- blood
- kiths
- nuclear families
5
as in nests
the shelter or resting place of a wild animal prairie dogs make their house underground Synonyms & Similar Words
- nests
- lodges
- lairs
- dens
- burrows
- holes
- territories
houses
2 of 2verb
1
as in lodges
to provide with living quarters or shelter some of the freshmen were temporarily housed in local motels while the new dorm was being finished Synonyms & Similar Words
- lodges
- shelters
- rooms
- camps
- boards
- roofs
- chambers
- accommodates
- quarters
- homes
- domiciles
- bunks
- billets
- harbors
- bivouacs
- tents
- bestows
- stables
- encamps
- barracks
- sheds
- takes in
- roosts
- secures
- ensconces
- puts up
- beds (down)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ejects
- evicts
2
as in closets
to close or shut in by or as if by barriers the famous document is housed in a special display case Synonyms & Similar Words
- closets
- cages
- confines
- surrounds
- pens
- encloses
- includes
- hedges
- encases
- envelops
- encages
- corrals
- immures
- incloses
- bounds
- contains
- hems (in)
- limits
- boxes (in)
- rings
- encompasses
- walls (in)
- mews (up)
- restricts
- fences (in)
- coops (up)
- cocoons
- enframes
- frames
- encapsules
- armors
- circumscribes
- encircles
- encysts
- ensheathes
- enfolds
- encapsulates
- enspheres
- enlaces
- enwombs