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
Etymology
Origin of household
First recorded in 1350–1400, household is from the Middle English word houshold. See house, hold 1
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.
There’s malware lurking in shady smartphone apps and cheap off-brand household electronics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
In 2022, household consumption was lifted by multiple tailwinds, including job growth coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, vestiges of government stimulus in response to the pandemic-related downturn, and strong household balance sheets.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
A lower-income household paying for a year at a public university, for example, “still has to come up with $15,000. That’s a loss for them. It’s just less than it used to be,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
While household energy bills are set to fall in April under Ofgem's price cap, there is likely to be a big jump over the summer.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
Vasili Arkhipov is not exactly a household name.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
