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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday kickstarted his programme to ease the cost of living for millions of Britons by planning to remove tax on household electricity bills.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The reduction from 5% VAT will come into effect on 1 October, saving a typical household about £45 a year.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
He has become a household name and even more of a global superstar.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
At the booth for Suzhou-based UniX AI, a $44,000 robot completed household tasks, such as making the bed, putting laundry in the washing machine and doing the dishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The paper chain is complete, and this once-unknown town has become a household word around the world.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Hosepipe ban in force for millions of households - is your area affected?
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Under the restrictions, households in the affected area will be banned from using a hosepipe in their homes for tasks including cleaning, filling ponds, or watering plants.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
US households saw some temporary respite in recent weeks as gasoline prices -- which have been squeezing families' budgets -- dropped below the $4 per gallon average on an interim deal between Washington and Tehran.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Diesel fuel prices increased 71% in the second quarter, with New Zealand households spending about eight times more on gasoline than on diesel, StatsNZ said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Next, examine the net worth of American households.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
