- present participle of dwell.
dwelling
Americannoun
-
dwellings
plural
noun
Synonym Usage
See house.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dwelling
Explanation
A dwelling is a home — where someone lives. Houses, apartments, and condos are all dwellings. If you know that to dwell means to live somewhere, then the meaning of dwelling won't be a surprise: it's an abode, domicile, or home. Your dwelling might be a house or an apartment. Tents, trailers, and igloos are all dwellings. Anything people live in is a dwelling. If you have no dwelling, then you have no shelter and you're probably homeless.
Vocabulary lists containing dwelling
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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There's No Word Like Home
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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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.
See Examples For:
The prospect of their brother’s dwelling being razed fills them with anguish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Rather than dwelling on the absence of a right hand, Fontaine saw something wondrous coming out of Abbott’s left hand — a cut fastball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The actress also owns several properties in Cambodia, purchasing her first dwelling in the country soon after she adopted her son Maddox, who was born in the country.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
This included growth in residential building in July, driven by a rise in home alterations and improvements as well as new construction of most dwelling types.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
He looked around the house unable to contain his euphoria over his selection of a dwelling.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
All of the dwellings along the beachfront stretch sit on land that slopes toward the ocean, providing jaw-dropping views over the water.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
As the fire raged, mother and son used garden hoses to defend their property as nearby dwellings were torched.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
There were more than 24,000 dwellings, external liable for second home council tax in Wales, according to 2023-24 government data.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
MetroLoft transformed the 19th-century warehouse into luxury dwellings that attracted A-list celebrities, including actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Meg Ryan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Southwest, past desert farms and cliff dwellings, to the Mississippian societies in the Midwest.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
