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greenhouse

American  
[green-hous] / ˈgrinˌhaʊs /

noun

plural

greenhouses

  1. a building, room, or area, usually chiefly of glass, in which the temperature is maintained within a desired range, used for cultivating tender plants or growing plants out of season.

greenhouse British  
/ ˈɡriːnˌhaʊs /

noun

  1. a building with transparent walls and roof, usually of glass, for the cultivation and exhibition of plants under controlled conditions

"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

Etymology

Origin of greenhouse

First recorded in 1655–65; green + house

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.

Fusion, the reaction that powers the sun, has long been considered the ultimate clean-energy prize: potentially limitless electricity without greenhouse gases or radioactive waste.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Coal is a top contributor to planet-warming greenhouse gases, and also a powerful air pollutant that is harmful for human health.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

It is different to mitigation - action that reduces or limits emissions of greenhouse gases.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Energy Information Administration shows that 83 percent of the U.S. economy still relies on fossil fuels like petroleum, coal and natural gas, all of which produce greenhouse gases when burned.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

Sprays and cascades of orange-bloom petals and lily of the valley, plucked straight from the palace greenhouse.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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.