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

Get expert advice on downsizing, tiny house regulations, smart storage, and more. —Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2024

This tiny house on Amazon is expandable up to 20 x 20 feet (with an 8-foot-tall frame) and foldable, and the setup process is surprisingly easy and more cost-efficient than a new build. —Katrina Cossey, Parents, 23 Oct. 2024

Mint Tiny House Company The bathroom is accessed by a sliding door from the kitchen and looks relatively spacious for a tiny house. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2024

First of all, what is a tiny house or tiny home village? —Roger Valdez, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above