open house

noun

1

: ready and usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers

2

: a house or apartment open for inspection especially by prospective buyers or tenants

Examples of open house in a Sentence

Westside High School will host an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. today, and all parents are invited to attend.

colleges holding open houses for prospective students

We held an open house last week in the hopes that someone would offer to buy our house.

They kept open house, and in the evenings neighbors would stop by to talk or play music.

They always kept an open house for visitors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Driving the news: The organization is holding an open house tonight from 4-7pm at the Fayetteville Public Library and Thursday from 4-7pm at the Bentonville Public Library. —Alex Golden, Axios, 9 Apr. 2025

Residents who cannot attend an open house can offer feedback on the district’s website, www.napervilleparks.org, from April 9 to 25. Cradles to Crayons drop-off site at Bank of America on Ogden The Bank of America at 1301 E. Ogden Ave. —Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025

So, pretty much the only way to see a home without signing something these days, is to go to an open house –- or represent yourself and reach out to listing agents directly. —Laurel Wamsley, NPR, 3 Apr. 2025

The district planned to ask visitors at an open house at the school Thursday night to sign a pledge to commit to inclusive schools and taking action when bigotry surfaces. —Gary Klien, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for open house

• boardinghouse
• charterhouse
• clearinghouse
• coffeehouse
• customhouse
• firehouse
• meetinghouse
• motherhouse
• packinghouse
• pilothouse
• powerhouse
• slaughterhouse

Kids Definition

open house

noun

: usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers