house
a building in which people live; residence for human beings.
a household.
(often initial capital letter) a family, including ancestors and descendants: the great houses of France; the House of Hapsburg.
a building for any purpose: a house of worship.
a theater, concert hall, or auditorium: a vaudeville house.
the audience of a theater or the like.
a place of shelter for an animal, bird, etc. (usually used in combination): a doghouse.
the building in which a legislative or official deliberative body meets.
House, the body itself, especially of a bicameral legislature: the House of Representatives.
a quorum of such a body.
(often initial capital letter) a commercial establishment; business firm: the House of Rothschild; a publishing house.
a gambling casino.
the management of a commercial establishment or of a gambling casino: rules of the house.
an advisory or deliberative group, especially in church or college affairs.
a college in an English-type university.
a residential hall in a college or school; dormitory.
the members or residents of any such residential hall.
Informal. a brothel; whorehouse.
British. a variety of lotto or bingo played with paper and pencil, especially by soldiers as a gambling game.
Also called parish .Curling. the area enclosed by a circle 12 or 14 feet (3.7 or 4.2 meters) in diameter at each end of the rink, having the tee in the center.
Nautical. any enclosed shelter above the weather deck of a vessel: bridge house; deck house.
Astrology. one of the 12 divisions of the celestial sphere, numbered counterclockwise from the point of the eastern horizon.
to put or receive into a house, dwelling, or living quarters: More than 200 students were housed in the dormitory.
to give shelter to; harbor; lodge: to house flood victims in schools.
to provide with a place to work, study, or the like: This building houses our executive staff.
to provide storage space for; be a receptacle for or repository of: The library houses 600,000 books.
to remove from exposure; put in a safe place.
Nautical.
to stow securely.
to lower (an upper mast) and make secure, as alongside the lower mast.
to heave (an anchor) home.
Carpentry.
to fit the end or edge of (a board or the like) into a notch, hole, or groove.
to form (a joint) between two pieces of wood by fitting the end or edge of one into a dado of the other.
to take shelter; dwell.
of, relating to, or noting a house.
for or suitable for a house: house paint.
served by a restaurant as its customary brand: the house wine.
of or being a product made by or for a specific retailer and often sold under the store's own label: You'll save money on the radio if you buy the house brand.
Idioms about house
bring down the house, to call forth vigorous applause from an audience; be highly successful: The children's performances brought down the house.
clean house. clean (def. 47).
dress the house, Theater.
to fill a theater with many people admitted on free passes; paper the house.
to arrange or space the seating of patrons in such a way as to make an audience appear larger or a theater or nightclub more crowded than it actually is.
keep house, to maintain a home; manage a household.
like a house on fire / afire, very quickly; with energy or enthusiasm: The new product took off like a house on fire.
on the house, as a gift from the management; free: Tonight the drinks are on the house.
put / set one's house in order,
to settle one's affairs.
to improve one's behavior or correct one's faults: It is easy to criticize others, but it would be better to put one's own house in order first.
Origin of house
1synonym study For house
Other words for house
Other words from house
- sub·house, noun
- well-housed, adjective
Words that may be confused with house
- home, house (see synonym study at the current entry)
Words Nearby house
Other definitions for House (2 of 2)
Edward Man·dell [man-dl], /ˈmæn dl/, "Colonel House", 1858–1938, U.S. diplomat.
Son [suhn], /sʌn/, Eddie James House, Jr., 1902–88, U.S. blues singer and guitarist.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use house in a sentence
house Democrats were starting to squirm earlier this week, fretting that house Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s risky gamble in economic relief talks would backfire and they would go into the November elections without any new stimulus package.
Trump moves closer to Pelosi in economic aid talks, and House speaker must decide next move | Rachael Bade, Erica Werner | September 17, 2020 | Washington PostIn our rankings of top 10 house races most likely to flip in November, Democrats hold five of them — including three of the most vulnerable races.
Why House Democrats have good reason to be anxious about no coronavirus relief deal | Amber Phillips | September 17, 2020 | Washington PostVice might not have a wealth of content around high fashion, for example, but consumers of a particular fashion house might still visit the site to read about politics or tech.
‘Re-architecting the entire process’: How Vice is preparing for life after the third-party cookie | Lara O'Reilly | September 17, 2020 | DigidayThe bill must still be passed by the full house and the Senate and signed by the president.
Bill to tear down federal courts’ paywall gains momentum in Congress | Timothy B. Lee | September 16, 2020 | Ars TechnicaEight Democratic house committee chairs promptly dismissed the proposal on Tuesday, saying it felt short of what’s needed.
Why lawmakers may choose a more targeted approach for the second round of COVID stimulus | Aric Jenkins | September 16, 2020 | Fortune
This Congress will welcome more women than ever before at 19 percent of the house and 20 percent of the Senate.
Even internally in the house, women are not getting their fair shake.
He then provides some insight into his psyche - complete with Animal house reference.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! | Olivia Nuzzi | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTEven the arguably more democratic house is only at 10 percent black members.
While 19 percent of the house is female, just one woman will get to chair one of its 20 committees.
It was a decayed house of superb proportions, but of a fashion long passed away.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuA Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousOn the thirteenth of the same month they bound to the stake, in order to burn alive, a man who had two religious in his house.
Old Mrs. Wurzel and the buxom but not too well-favoured heiress of the house of Grains were at the head of the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsIt goes without saying that Ferns of all kinds are interesting plants to grow in the garden and house.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
British Dictionary definitions for house (1 of 2)
a building used as a home; dwelling
(as modifier): house dog
the people present in a house, esp its usual occupants
a building used for some specific purpose
(in combination): a schoolhouse
(often capital) a family line including ancestors and relatives, esp a noble one: the House of York
a commercial company; firm: a publishing house
(as modifier): house style; a house journal
an official deliberative or legislative body, such as one chamber of a bicameral legislature
a quorum in such a body (esp in the phrase make a house)
a dwelling for a religious community
astrology any of the 12 divisions of the zodiac: See also planet (def. 3)
any of several divisions, esp residential, of a large school
(as modifier): house spirit
a hotel, restaurant, bar, inn, club, etc, or the management of such an establishment
(as modifier): house rules
(in combination): steakhouse
(modifier) (of wine) sold unnamed by a restaurant, at a lower price than wines specified on the wine list: the house red
the audience in a theatre or cinema
an informal word for brothel
a hall in which an official deliberative or legislative body meets
See full house
curling the 12-foot target circle around the tee
nautical any structure or shelter on the weather deck of a vessel
bring the house down theatre to win great applause
house and home an emphatic form of home
keep open house to be always ready to provide hospitality
like a house on fire informal very well, quickly, or intensely
on the house (usually of drinks) paid for by the management of the hotel, bar, etc
put one's house in order to settle or organize one's affairs
safe as houses British very secure
(tr) to provide with or serve as accommodation
to give or receive shelter or lodging
(tr) to contain or cover, esp in order to protect
(tr) to fit (a piece of wood) into a mortise, joint, etc
(tr) nautical
to secure or stow
to secure (a topmast)
to secure and stow (an anchor)
Origin of house
1Derived forms of house
- houseless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for House (2 of 2)
/ (haʊs) /
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with house
In addition to the idiom beginning with house
- house of cards
also see:
- boardinghouse reach
- bring down the house
- clean house
- eat someone out of house and home
- get on (like a house afire)
- keep house
- on the house
- open house
- people who live in glass houses
- put one's house in order
- safe as houses
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse