dwelling

[ dwel-ing ]

noun

1. a building or place of shelter to live in; place of residence; abode; home.

dwelling

/ ˈdwɛlɪŋ /

noun

1. formal.
   a place of residence

Other Words From

• multi·dwelling noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dwelling¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; dwell + -ing ¹

Synonym Study

See house.

Example Sentences

Don’t be fooled by its mysterious exterior—this cave dwelling feels like a luxury resort.

From Outside Online

By printing the first apartment building on-site, we are demonstrating that this new technology can also be used to print large-scale dwelling units.

From Singularity Hub 

The teenager said he heard three rounds fired at the dwelling but did not phone 911.

From ProPublica

In the Stone Age and even in recent history, cooking fires were more than just a heat source in our dwellings.

From Popular-Science

The largest and best known of the Mesa Verde’s native dwellings, Cliff Palace is a wonder to behold.

From Outside Online

One role the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Berbers would be perfectly suited to is aiding the army in its frontier patrols.

From The Daily Beast

But I reserve the distinction for gutter dwelling and otherwise abhorrent behavior to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

From The Daily Beast

We tend to daydream all the time, speculating about the future and dwelling on the past.

From The Daily Beast

If God exists, then God has (or had) a body and a dwelling place.

From The Daily Beast

Others boast colorful tiles, captain windows to take in the vista, and fitted doors that give the appearance of a hobbit dwelling.

From The Daily Beast

And Mr. Meadow Mouse often remarked that it had more halls than any other dwelling he had ever seen.

From Project Gutenberg

But dwelling means a special kind of structure—a building occupied by man—a place to live in.

From Project Gutenberg

Thou hast exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away.

From Project Gutenberg

Directors were to us junior clerks, remote personalities, mythical beings dwelling on Olympian heights.

From Project Gutenberg

And everything else is certainly in keeping with our dwelling and our vocation in life, that is, poverty.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• belaboring
• brooding
• laboring