household
Americannoun
adjective
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of or relating to a household.
household furniture.
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for use in maintaining a home, especially for use in cooking, cleaning, laundering, repairing, etc., in the home.
a household bleach.
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common or usual; ordinary.
noun
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the people living together in one house collectively
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(modifier) of, relating to, or used in the running of a household; domestic
household management
Etymology
Origin of household
First recorded in 1350–1400, household is from the Middle English word houshold. See house, hold 1
Explanation
How many people does your house hold? That’s your household! A household refers to a family or group of people living together. It’s a social unit under one roof. All the people living in your house, including servants, make up your household. Don’t have any servants? Well, your roommates count as part of your household, too. In the middle of the night, your household might be asleep. Your household income could determine whether or not you get the pool in the backyard. Household can also be an adjective to describe — you guessed it — things that are in your house, like household appliances or household furniture.
Vocabulary lists containing household
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The new technologies of the Information Age led to growing average real wages and household incomes, but many workers were left behind.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
The watchdog said household energy debt had jumped following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, rising by 118% since 2021.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Or, to put it another way, it works out at just over $1 million per U.S. household.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
But it gave the BLS credit for taking steps to help mitigate this risk by developing an online response method for the household survey, which informs the unemployment rate.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
In the Fischer household failing a language exam was a major infraction.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
