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
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
housed; housing
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
: to take shelter : lodge
Synonyms
Examples of house in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples on the WebCharna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2024
Bass and her family were inside the house at the time.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Cronenberg stages it with a fearless matter-of-factness, with telling nods to issues of corporate surveillance and the evils of private contracting, and with a vivid eye for the schemes and secrets hidden in the Victorian nooks and crannies of that house.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Apr. 2024
Additionally, the house comes with a two-car garage, allowing for convenient vehicle storage and additional storage space.
—Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
The church’s pastor, the Rev. Brandon Gilmore, told The Arizona Republic on Thursday that congregants decided in a 26-4 vote on April 21 to close the house of worship on North Central Avenue near East McDowell Road due to dwindling attendance and lack of funding.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2024
Related Articles To establish defensible space, reduce fire hazards by removing leaves, needles, and debris from decks, roofs, and gutters and keeping combustible fencing or gates at least five feet from the house.
—Sara B. Hansen, The Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2024
Wandering in the cellar of the unfamiliar house, unable for some frantic minutes to find the stairway leading up, the wife had begun to have difficulty breathing.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
There can be houses flying away just a mile away and trees being uprooted in the other direction.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 26 Apr. 2024
They're housed in a copper peptide that ushers them exactly where they're most needed in the skin to provide results effectively and quickly (think weeks, not months).
—Deanna Pai, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2024
The desk's size is adequate and was able to house a laptop, a large monitor, a desktop Mac Studio, two keyboards, and wireless mice.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2024
All plates, serving bowls, and vases are crafted from porcelain and stoneware, and the candles are housed in a reusable container (that’ll make an excellent pencil or makeup brush holder once burned through).
—Erin Lassner, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Fed up by sweeps and scrapped plans to allow safe camping on the land, these women organized their community with the help of the National Union of the Homeless, and resolved to stay at 2225 Colfax St. until the city followed through on goals to house people.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Legend has it that ghosts haunt the eatery, most notably inside the wine cellar that, before storing cabernets and pinots, once housed inmates awaiting trial or the firing squad.
—Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 25 Apr. 2024
Foreign reporters were housed in a town three hours by bus from the space center, while Chinese journalists stayed onsite.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024
The property, which served as Denmark’s stock exchange until the 1970s, now houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce and had been under renovation.
—Christian Wienberg, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
The 4,650-square-foot house features four bedrooms, five full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, lovely outdoor seating in a 35-foot garden — as well as a secret elevator.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2024
Bass and her family were inside the house at the time.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Cronenberg stages it with a fearless matter-of-factness, with telling nods to issues of corporate surveillance and the evils of private contracting, and with a vivid eye for the schemes and secrets hidden in the Victorian nooks and crannies of that house.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Apr. 2024
Additionally, the house comes with a two-car garage, allowing for convenient vehicle storage and additional storage space.
—Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
The church’s pastor, the Rev. Brandon Gilmore, told The Arizona Republic on Thursday that congregants decided in a 26-4 vote on April 21 to close the house of worship on North Central Avenue near East McDowell Road due to dwindling attendance and lack of funding.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2024
Related Articles To establish defensible space, reduce fire hazards by removing leaves, needles, and debris from decks, roofs, and gutters and keeping combustible fencing or gates at least five feet from the house.
—Sara B. Hansen, The Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2024
Wandering in the cellar of the unfamiliar house, unable for some frantic minutes to find the stairway leading up, the wife had begun to have difficulty breathing.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
There can be houses flying away just a mile away and trees being uprooted in the other direction.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
One of the islands can be used for quick bites, while the copious cabinet space houses a gas range and convection ovens.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 26 Apr. 2024
They're housed in a copper peptide that ushers them exactly where they're most needed in the skin to provide results effectively and quickly (think weeks, not months).
—Deanna Pai, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2024
The desk's size is adequate and was able to house a laptop, a large monitor, a desktop Mac Studio, two keyboards, and wireless mice.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2024
All plates, serving bowls, and vases are crafted from porcelain and stoneware, and the candles are housed in a reusable container (that’ll make an excellent pencil or makeup brush holder once burned through).
—Erin Lassner, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Fed up by sweeps and scrapped plans to allow safe camping on the land, these women organized their community with the help of the National Union of the Homeless, and resolved to stay at 2225 Colfax St. until the city followed through on goals to house people.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Legend has it that ghosts haunt the eatery, most notably inside the wine cellar that, before storing cabernets and pinots, once housed inmates awaiting trial or the firing squad.
—Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 25 Apr. 2024
Foreign reporters were housed in a town three hours by bus from the space center, while Chinese journalists stayed onsite.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024
The property, which served as Denmark’s stock exchange until the 1970s, now houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce and had been under renovation.
—Christian Wienberg, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'house.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near house
Cite this Entry
“House.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
house
1 of 2 noun
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
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
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