dwelling

[ dwel-ing ]

/ ˈdwɛl ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dwelling ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a building or place of shelter to live in; place of residence; abode; home.

Nearby words

dweeb, dweeby, dwell, dwell on, dwell time, dwelling, dwelling house, dwelling place, dwelt, dwem, dwi

Origin of dwelling

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at dwell, -ing¹

SYNONYMS FOR dwelling

See house.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dwelling ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

mul·ti·dwell·ing, noun, adjective

Definition for dwelling (2 of 2)

dwell

[ dwel ]

/ dwɛl /

verb (used without object), dwelt or dwelled, dwell·ing.

to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside.

to live or continue in a given condition or state: to dwell in happiness.

to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing (often followed by on or upon): to dwell on a particular point in an argument.

(of a moving tool or machine part) to be motionless for a certain interval during operation.

noun

Machinery.

a flat or cylindrical area on a cam for maintaining a follower in a certain position during part of a cycle.
a period in a cycle in the operation of a machine or engine during which a given part remains motionless.

Origin of dwell

before 900; Middle English dwellen to lead astray, stun, abide, Old English dwellan to lead or go astray, hinder; cognate with Old Norse dvelja

Related forms

dwell·er, nounout·dwell, verb (used with object), out·dwelt or out·dwelled, out·dwell·ing.pre·dwell, verb (used without object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dwelling

We tend to daydream all the time, speculating about the future and dwelling on the past.
Peter Matthiessen Was One of the Greatest Writers of a Great Generation|Malcolm Jones|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If God exists, then God has (or had) a body and a dwelling place.
The Core Mormon Teaching the LDS Church Didn’t Jettison|Jay Michaelson|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You have to haul the water into your dwelling and carry out the waste.
What's Better: Cell Phones or Indoor Toilets?|Megan McArdle|January 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Weiss misses them, I think, for the same reason he cannot bear Boianjiu dwelling in the head of an Israeli soldier.
Why We Should Read "Israeli Army Fiction"|Raphael Magarik|June 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

After two weeks of dwelling on religious and social issues, Santorum delivered a concession speech heavy on economic talk.
Mitt Romney Pulls Out Badly Needed Win in Michigan Primary|Howard Kurtz|February 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was the dwelling on the same theme, the going over and over the same thing—“nothing would happen to him?”
Shenac's Work at Home|Margaret Murray Robertson
Then he got into it and rowed across the lake, and coming to the giant's dwelling he hid himself, and stayed the night there.
Folk-Lore and Legends; Scandinavian|Various
And in the first place, by what right did you thrust yourself into our dwelling, if you're not a spirit?
The Man With The Broken Ear|Edmond About
The most passing glance would have detected that she was not "one of them," nor had she been long an inmate of this dwelling.
The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. II (of II)|Charles James Lever
The place I inhabit, if not subterranean in the strict sense of the word, is at least a dwelling covered by the ground.
The Bee Hunters|Gustave Aimard

British Dictionary definitions for dwelling (1 of 2)

dwelling

/ (ˈdwɛlɪŋ) /

noun

formal, literary a place of residence

British Dictionary definitions for dwelling (2 of 2)

dwell

/ (dwɛl) /

verb dwells, dwelling, dwelt (dwɛlt) or dwelled (intr)

formal, literary to live as a permanent resident

to live (in a specified state)to dwell in poverty

noun

a regular pause in the operation of a machine

a flat or constant-radius portion on a linear or rotary cam enabling the cam follower to remain static for a brief time

Derived Forms

dweller, noun

Word Origin for dwell

Old English dwellan to seduce, get lost; related to Old Saxon bidwellian to prevent, Old Norse dvelja, Old High German twellen to prevent

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