bungalow
Americannoun
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a cottage of one story.
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(in India) a one-storied thatched or tiled house, usually surrounded by a veranda.
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(in the U.S.) a derivation of the Indian house type, popular especially during the first quarter of the 20th century, usually having one and a half stories, a widely bracketed gable roof, and a multi-windowed dormer and frequently built of rustic materials.
noun
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a one-storey house, sometimes with an attic
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(in India) a one-storey house, usually surrounded by a veranda
Etymology
Origin of bungalow
First recorded in 1670–80, bungalow is from the Hindi word banglā literally, of Bengal
Explanation
A bungalow is a little house. If you’re not ready for the three-story house in the suburbs just yet, you might try living in a bungalow. The word bungalow was originally used to describe the temporary houses set up by English sailors traveling to India to work for the East India Company. These little houses were often just one story high with a thatched roof. Nowadays, the word bungalow can be used to describe any one story house. Think of the little cabin you slept in at summer camp — that’s a kind of bungalow.
Vocabulary lists containing bungalow
There's No Word Like Home
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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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.
Bungalow Heaven — which became Pasadena’s first Landmark District in 1989, thanks largely to the persistence of local resident Bob Kneisel — contains more modest, middle-class dwellings.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025
Bungalow, a 5-year-old company that manages 1,380 properties in places like Atlanta, San Antonio and Orange County, California, revamped its screening process after complaints at some sites.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2022
The advert concludes with the fans asking Kay whether he had finally bought his mother a bungalow - a reference the comic's previous Mum Wants A Bungalow tour.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2022
Bungalow, a five-year-old company that manages 1,380 properties in places like Atlanta, San Antonio and Orange County, Calif., revamped its screening process after complaints at some sites.
From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2022
This extension of hospitality did not make the Bungalow seem more accessible, but distinctly less so.
From My Little Sister by Robins, Elizabeth
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.
