Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

housing project

American  
[hou-zing proj-ekt, proj-ikt] / ˈhaʊ zɪŋ ˌprɒdʒ ɛkt, ˌprɒdʒ ɪkt /

noun

  1. a publicly built and operated housing development, usually intended for low- or moderate-income tenants, senior citizens, etc.


housing project British  

noun

  1. a housing development built and maintained by a local authority, usually intended for people with a low or moderate income

"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

Etymology

Origin of housing project

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

Westhoughton-born actress Maxine Peake was among the campaigners against it, describing it as a "housing project in golf clothing".

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Hempcrete is being used for purposes like insulation, for instance in a housing project underway in Lewes, England.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

The fight started last year after developers Craig and Stephanie Smith laid out ambitious plans for an eight-story housing project with at least 250 apartments at 505 East Los Olivos St.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

The family lived in a Brooklyn housing project at a time when such accommodations were safe, comfortable and a marker of the American black middle class.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

Now there was a housing project surrounded by a i3,ooo-foot-long brick-and-cement security wall in the field where Henrietta’s children once played.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot