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 building or part of a building where people gather for a specified kind of activity
a movie house
the local coffee house
a house of worship/God [=a church, synagogue, mosque, etc.]
runs the restaurant's front of house [=dining area]
… can no longer require employees to share their tips with the back of house, such as cooks and dishwashers …—Melanie Sevcenko
Melanie Sevcenkoa house cocktail [=a cocktail whose recipe was created by the bar, restaurant, etc. at which it is served]
Save room for a soufflé, the century-long house specialty …—Thomas P. Farley
Thomas P. Farley
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; houses
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 Web
Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Dec. 2024
Hall has been living at the house since their split in July.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024
Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
Rachel Roston, a comparative anatomist with Seattle Children's Research Institute, says that normally, the skulls of mammals are thought of as mostly housing and protecting sensory organs like the eyes and nose.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for house 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago estimated that Kate and Peter, whose house was also home to their five kids, would have had an income of $305,000 in 1990, or over $730,000 today, The New York Times reported in 2023.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Dec. 2024
Hall has been living at the house since their split in July.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
Indiana made national headlines Wednesday when media reported the FBI was investigating bugs — potentially maggots — placed in the breakfast buffet at the Chicago hotel housing our state's delegates along with those of Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and South Dakota.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
Rachel Roston, a comparative anatomist with Seattle Children's Research Institute, says that normally, the skulls of mammals are thought of as mostly housing and protecting sensory organs like the eyes and nose.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for house
Dictionary Entries Near house
Cite this Entry
“House.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house. Accessed 30 Dec. 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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