furniture

American  

[fur-ni-cher] / ˈfɜr nɪ tʃər /

noun

1. the movable articles, as tables, chairs, desks or cabinets, required for use or ornament in a house, office, or the like.

2. fittings, apparatus, or necessary accessories for something.

3. equipment for streets and other public areas, as lighting standards, signs, benches, or litter bins.

4. Also called bearer.  Also called dead metal.  Printing. pieces of wood or metal, less than type high, set in and about pages of type to fill them out and hold the type in place in a chase.

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furniture British  

/ ˈfɜːnɪtʃə /

noun

1. the movable, generally functional, articles that equip a room, house, etc

2. the equipment necessary for a ship, factory, etc

3. printing lengths of wood, plastic, or metal, used in assembling formes to create the blank areas and to surround the type

4. the wooden parts of a rifle

5. obsolete the full armour, trappings, etc, for a man and horse

6. the attitudes or characteristics that are typical of a person or thing

   the furniture of the murderer's mind

7. informal someone or something that is so long established in an environment as to be accepted as an integral part of it

   he has been here so long that he is part of the furniture

8. See door furniture street furniture

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Other Word Forms

• furnitureless adjective

Etymology

Origin of furniture

1520–30; < French fourniture, derivative of fournir to furnish

Example Sentences

It hasn’t been smooth sailing in the furniture space.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

And when it came to the design choices in the property, Barrymore led the charge, selecting a majority of the furniture, finishes, and even the paint colors, which can be seen in the listing photos.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Similarly, polypropylene, commonly used in packaging for medical supplies, cleaning supplies, and even furniture, also comes through the strait, with about 42% of the world’s supply coming from the region.

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026

Preparations for the Persian New Year begin days in advance, with people spring-cleaning their home — “shaking the house,” as the expression goes — or buying new clothes and furniture.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

I skirted around the furniture to join them.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• appliance
• bed
• bookcase
• chair
• couch
• desk
• equipment
• goods
• sofa
• table