cottage

American  

[kot-ij] / ˈkɒt ɪdʒ /

noun

• cottages
  plural

1. a small house, usually of only one story.

2. a small, modest house at a lake, mountain resort, etc., owned or rented as a vacation home.

3. one of a group of small, separate houses, as for patients at a hospital, guests at a hotel, or students at a boarding school.

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cottage British  

/ ˈkɒtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a small simple house, esp in a rural area

2. a small house in the country or at a resort, used for holiday purposes

3. one of several housing units, as at a hospital, for accommodating people in groups

4. slang a public lavatory

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cottaged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cottages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cottage

1350–1400; Middle English cotage. See cot ², -age; compare Medieval Latin cotagium, apparently < Anglo-French

Explanation

A cottage is a small house, particularly a traditional or old-fashioned house, or one that is used seasonally. Your family might rent a cottage near the beach every summer. In the US, a cottage typically has only one story, while in Canada a house can be much larger and still be called a cottage. In the Middle Ages, a cottage was housing for farm workers — sometimes known as cottagers — and the word implied not just a home, but also a barn and land. The first US holiday cottages were built in the 1880s in Bar Harbor, Maine and are credited with introducing the word cottage to North America.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cottage cottages

Today, a blue plaque on a cottage near the King's Arms pub marks the place where Hepburn lived between 1936 and 1939.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Arla’s cottage cheese sales volumes rose by a quarter over the past three years, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

For me, this is often cottage cheese ranch or a punchy vinaigrette — mostly because Future Me is considerably more enthusiastic about eating vegetables when there is something good to drag them through.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

"We've been down to Cambridgeshire, which was lovely. We go up to the Lake District quite regularly to a holiday cottage, and we're planning to go to Norfolk."

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The sisters’ presence near Hydesville encouraged daily crowds, who rode out to gawk at the original Fox cottage, then continue on to David’s farm to see the Fox girls in person.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Around town, lined with winding streets and tan-colored stone cottages, locals speak highly of the American servicemen and women, even if their commander in chief gets negative reviews from some.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

In the seven years the charity has had the cottages, Eastman says just five people have returned to the streets.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Tom Brumfitt, who lives in one of the small row of cottages by the side of the road, said he heard "loud bangs" as he lay in bed when the collision happened.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Housing reforms that increase supply, such as allowing smaller lots in new subdivisions, permitting duplexes, townhomes, and backyard cottages on existing lots, and changing zoning laws to allow housing nearer to jobs, are land-use issues.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

On either side, plain cottages facing the water.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

Related Words

• bungalow
• cabin
• chalet
• home
• hut
• lean-to
• lodge
• ranch
• shack
• shanty