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greenhouse

American  
[green-hous] / ˈgrinˌhaʊs /

noun

plural

greenhouses

  1. a building, room, or area, usually chiefly of glass, in which the temperature is maintained within a desired range, used for cultivating tender plants or growing plants out of season.

greenhouse British  
/ ˈɡriːnˌhaʊs /

noun

  1. a building with transparent walls and roof, usually of glass, for the cultivation and exhibition of plants under controlled conditions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of greenhouse

First recorded in 1655–65; green + house

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 Greenhouse Gas Protocol is still conducting its review.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Greenhouse gas levels in the US peaked in the late 2000s and have been on a steady decline in the years since.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

Greenhouse, a hiring software firm, estimates that when someone applies for a job, they now have a 0.4 percent chance of being hired—meaning you have a better chance of getting into Harvard than securing employment.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, or CO2, stay in the atmosphere for centuries, while aerosols last only days or weeks.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2025

Then she resumes the tour: “Sunken living room. Greenhouse adjoining the dining area. And, as you can see, the house is well supplied with windows.”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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.