boardinghouse

or board·ing house

[ bawr-ding-hous, bohr- ]

/ ˈbɔr dɪŋˌhaʊs, ˈboʊr- /

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See synonyms for boardinghouse on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural board·ing·hous·es

[bawr-ding-hou-ziz, bohr-]. /ˈbɔr dɪŋˌhaʊ zɪz, ˈboʊr-/.

a house at which board or board and lodging may be obtained for payment.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of boardinghouse

First recorded in 1720–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use boardinghouse in a sentence

He lived in a boarding house in Cambridge, Mass., while Ina stayed on Long Island with their son Chase, who was in school.
‘The Power Broker’ Turns 40: How Robert Caro Wrote a Masterpiece|Scott Porch|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to one local Houston news report, the Batavia, New York native had been living in some sort of boarding house.
Far-Right Texas Terrorist Planned Murder And Robbery Spree in the Name of ‘Liberty’|Caitlin Dickson|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bill ended up in a boarding house, whose owner one day found him, then 40, unconscious having suffered a blow to his head.
Making It in the 2-1-2: How Kenneth Walsh Achieved His NY Dream|Tim Teeman|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Think of it as a boarding house where a bunch of criminals hang out—some are petty thieves; others are killers.
A Pink Rethink: Breast-Cancer Spending Comes Under the Microscope|Abigail Pesta|April 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Cleveland escorted Halpin back to her room at a downtown boarding house.
America's Forgotten Presidential Sex Scandal|Charles Lachman|May 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Yet the word is general and apparently unconnected with the house, as it was not a stable but a boarding-house.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Each soldier had his boarding-house, where he lived when off duty, as a member of the family.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
Half-way up stood the74 boarding-house where the godmother was living.
Rudy and Babette|Hans Christian Andersen
And then, in silence, the trip to town was made, at last to draw up in front of the boarding house.
The White Desert|Courtney Ryley Cooper
At present he seems to be all neck and legs—like the chickens they use to make boarding-house fricassees.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur

British Dictionary definitions for boardinghouse

boarding house

noun

a private house in which accommodation and meals are provided for paying guests

Australian a house for boarders at a schoolSee also house (def. 10)

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