dwelling
Americannoun
noun
Related Words
See house.
Other Word Forms
- multidwelling noun
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.
Jailing Garner, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "The suffering experienced by Mr McColl was quite unspeakable and really does not bear dwelling on."
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Shortly after he purchased this Malibu property, he sold off a nearby dwelling for $10.3 million, having bought that home in 1998 for $1.6 million, according to records.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Property records show that the actor owns a three-bedroom Santa Monica dwelling that he purchased for $1.63 million in 2009—and which is located less than a mile from the beach.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
To maximize privacy, the primary suite, which includes a beautiful bathroom with its own enormous soaking tub, is located in its own “quiet wing” of the dwelling, along with a private office.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
“Where it says ‘the dwelling place belonging to’ and so on.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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.
