dwelling
Americannoun
noun
Related Words
See house.
Other Word Forms
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.
The book chronicles Suzanna’s life from childhood to the cusp of her 18th birthday, dwelling mostly on the minor variations of her weekly prison visits.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
With so much luxury on offer, one might wonder what has prompted Niko—also owns a film-production company called Chasing Butterflies Pictures—and Stephanie to walk away from the dwelling.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
A metal desk she found on Craigslist anchors the 546-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, where she works.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Gjoshe meanwhile is determined to remain upbeat, rather than dwelling on the cruel twist of fate that has disrupted his footballing career.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
In what way could it possibly be the interest of the inhabitants of that dwelling to serve me?
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
