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
When asked if support could go beyond people who receive benefits, Reeves said: "We're looking at ways in which we can support people based on their household income."
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
But the American demand for field workers and household servants surged, especially in places like South Carolina, where rice production was booming.
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.
