housing

[ hou-zing ]

/ ˈhaʊ zɪŋ /

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noun

any shelter, lodging, or dwelling place.

houses collectively.

the act of one who houses or puts under shelter.

the providing of houses for a group or community: the housing of an influx of laborers.

anything that covers or protects.

Machinery. a fully enclosed case and support for a mechanism.

Carpentry. the space made in one piece of wood, or the like, for the insertion of another.

Nautical.

Also called bury . the portion of a mast below the deck.
Also called bury . the portion of a bowsprit aft of the forward part of the stem of a vessel.
the doubling of an upper mast.

a niche for a statue.

OTHER WORDS FOR housing

5 covering, casing, shield, sheath.

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QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of housing

First recorded in 1350–1400; house + -ing¹

Words nearby housing

housework, houseworker, housewrecker, house wren, housey-housey, housing, housing association, housing benefit, housing development, housing estate, housing project

Other definitions for housing (2 of 2)

housing²

[ hou-zing ]

/ ˈhaʊ zɪŋ /

noun

a covering of cloth for the back and flanks of a horse or other animal, for protection or ornament.

housings, the trappings on a horse.

Origin of housing

First recorded in 1690–1700; compare earlier house, Middle English hous(e), houc(e) in same sense, from Old French houce, from unrecorded Germanic hulfti- (compare Medieval Latin hultia ), akin to Middle Dutch hulfte “cover for bow and arrow,” Middle High German hulft “covering”; -ing¹ added by association with house, housing¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use housing in a sentence

Today, in 70 percent of the areas in which it is legal to build housing, it is only legal to build single-family homes.
Single-Family Zoning’s Century of Supremacy in San Diego|Andrew Keatts|August 26, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Wilbourn, who left the housing authority in October 2019, declined interview requests from The Capital and ProPublica while she was leading the agency and after she departed.
She Was Sued Over Rent She Didn’t Owe. It Took Seven Court Dates to Prove She Was Right.|by Danielle Ohl, Capital Gazette, and Talia Buford and Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica|August 25, 2020|ProPublica
A federal Bureau of Prisons facility in downtown San Diego is the site of nearly 50 coronavirus cases as of late last week after a group of people in a single housing unit were infected with the virus.
Morning Report: The Deal Before the 101 Ash St. Deal|Voice of San Diego|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Again, it would mean the city didn’t need to borrow a big chunk of money and would eventually own a building capable of housing hundreds of employees for decades.
The Deal Before the 101 Ash St. Debacle Helps Explain How We Got Here|Lisa Halverstadt and Jesse Marx|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Every person in the housing unit has now been tested, said Bureau of Prisons spokesman Justin Long in an e-mail.
Downtown Federal Jail Facility Has Nearly 50 Coronavirus Cases|Maya Srikrishnan|August 21, 2020|Voice of San Diego
They selected an “easy mark” who turned out to be an off-duty NYC Housing Authority cop named James Carragher.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He first rose to prominence as a lawyer in Queens, who settled a boiling racial dispute over public housing in Forest Hills.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He stopped at one point to ask someone directions to a particular housing development.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gurley was gunned down on Nov. 20, when a pair of cops was patrolling the rough housing project.
Protesters Demand Justice For Gurley As Gap Grows Between Cops and NYC|M.L. Nestel|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They keep their heads low while running behind a large curtain covering the opening between two housing blocks.
The Brothers Who Ambushed ISIS|Mohammed A. Salih|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Large-scale housing is primarily for married people with growing families.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents|Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.
(ii) There are many similar housing settlements in New Zealand.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents|Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.
In quickly settled housing areas this community spirit has not yet had time to develop.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents|Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.
Housing the Imp, he quietly crossed the lawn to the window, avoiding any sound of footsteps on the gravelled paths.
Red Pepper Burns|Grace S. Richmond
But when I inquired there they informed me that they were housing no English duchess.
An Onlooker in France 1917-1919|William Orpen

British Dictionary definitions for housing (1 of 2)

housing¹

/ (ˈhaʊzɪŋ) /

noun

houses or dwellings collectively
(as modifier)a housing problem

the act of providing with accommodation

a hole, recess, groove, or slot made in one wooden member to receive another

a part designed to shelter, cover, contain, or support a component, such as a bearing, or a mechanism, such as a pump or wheela bearing housing; a motor housing; a wheel housing

another word for houseline

British Dictionary definitions for housing (2 of 2)

housing²

/ (ˈhaʊzɪŋ) /

noun

(often plural) archaic another word for trappings (def. 2)

Word Origin for housing

C14: from Old French houce covering, of Germanic origin

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

housing

OTHER WORDS FOR housing

Origin of housing

Words nearby housing

Other definitions for housing (2 of 2)

Origin of housing

Words related to housing

How to use housing in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for housing (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for housing (2 of 2)

Word Origin for housing