household
Americannoun
adjective
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of or relating to a household.
household furniture.
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for use in maintaining a home, especially for use in cooking, cleaning, laundering, repairing, etc., in the home.
a household bleach.
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common or usual; ordinary.
noun
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the people living together in one house collectively
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(modifier) of, relating to, or used in the running of a household; domestic
household management
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of household
First recorded in 1350–1400, household is from the Middle English word houshold. See house, hold 1
Explanation
How many people does your house hold? That’s your household! A household refers to a family or group of people living together. It’s a social unit under one roof. All the people living in your house, including servants, make up your household. Don’t have any servants? Well, your roommates count as part of your household, too. In the middle of the night, your household might be asleep. Your household income could determine whether or not you get the pool in the backyard. Household can also be an adjective to describe — you guessed it — things that are in your house, like household appliances or household furniture.
Vocabulary lists containing household
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.
She was a household name even before she reinvented herself as a reality TV star, with a high profile spell on Strictly Come Dancing, known for her forthright views and no-nonsense attitude.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
South Korean memory-chip giant SK Hynix is getting one step closer to becoming a household name in the U.S.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 10, 2026
"This kind of empowerment can be passed on to the many women living alone today, helping them handle minor household fixes completely on their own," the 42-year-old said.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
But Whoop is going up against household names like the Apple Watch and buzzy tech firms like Oura Health as the concept of wearing a device to monitor health, sleep and fitness marches toward ubiquity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
Margaret, who went by Peggy, also did sewing for the servants who were part of General Washington’s household, and records show her receiving pay from October 1776 until April 1779.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
