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housing

1 American  
[hou-zing] / ˈhaʊ zɪŋ /

noun

  1. any shelter, lodging, or dwelling place.

  2. houses collectively.

  3. the act of one who houses or puts under shelter.

  4. the providing of houses for a group or community.

    the housing of an influx of laborers.

  5. anything that covers or protects.

    Synonyms:
    sheath, shield, casing, covering
  6. Machinery. a fully enclosed case and support for a mechanism.

  7. Carpentry. the space made in one piece of wood, or the like, for the insertion of another.

  8. Nautical.

    1. Also called bury.  the portion of a mast below the deck.

    2. Also called bury.  the portion of a bowsprit aft of the forward part of the stem of a vessel.

    3. the doubling of an upper mast.

  9. a niche for a statue.


housing 2 American  
[hou-zing] / ˈhaʊ zɪŋ /

noun

  1. a covering of cloth for the back and flanks of a horse or other animal, for protection or ornament.

  2. housings, the trappings on a horse.


housing 1 British  
/ ˈhaʊzɪŋ /

noun

    1. houses or dwellings collectively

    2. ( as modifier )

      a housing problem

  1. the act of providing with accommodation

  2. a hole, recess, groove, or slot made in one wooden member to receive another

  3. a part designed to shelter, cover, contain, or support a component, such as a bearing, or a mechanism, such as a pump or wheel

    a bearing housing

    a motor housing

    a wheel housing

  4. another word for houseline

"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

housing 2 British  
/ ˈhaʊzɪŋ /

noun

  1. archaic (often plural) another word for trappings

"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 housing1

First recorded in 1350–1400; house + -ing 1 ( def. )

Origin of housing2

First recorded in 1690–1700; compare earlier house, Middle English hous(e), houc(e) in same sense, from Old French houce, from unrecorded Germanic hulfti- (compare Medieval Latin hultia ), akin to Middle Dutch hulfte “cover for bow and arrow,” Middle High German hulft “covering”; -ing 1 added by association with house, housing 1

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.

Related is also building a housing project for low-income families and seniors called Alveare in downtown Los Angeles’s South Park neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times

“I want everyone alive to have free, clean water, food, healthcare, education, shelter/housing, and have more time to pursue passions and hobbies. Is that really so radical??”

From Los Angeles Times

“We can lower interest rates a lot, and in so doing get 30-year fixed-rate mortgages so they’re affordable, so we can get the housing market to get going again,” he said in October.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the past few years, housing has been a waiting game, as buyers balk at record-high prices and sellers hold off on listing their homes until activity returns.

From The Wall Street Journal

Department of Veterans Affairs to build more than 2,500 units of housing on its West Los Angeles campus and invalidating a prestigious private school’s lease there.

From Los Angeles Times