housing

¹ American  

[hou-zing] / ˈhaʊ zɪŋ /

noun

1. any shelter, lodging, or dwelling place.

2. houses collectively.

3. the act of one who houses or puts under shelter.

4. the providing of houses for a group or community.

   the housing of an influx of laborers.

5. anything that covers or protects.

   Synonyms:

   sheath, shield, casing, covering

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

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

8. Nautical.

   1. Also called bury.  the portion of a mast below the deck.

   2. Also called bury.  the portion of a bowsprit aft of the forward part of the stem of a vessel.

   3. the doubling of an upper mast.

9. a niche for a statue.

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housing ² American  

[hou-zing] / ˈhaʊ zɪŋ /

noun

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

2. housings, the trappings on a horse.

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housing ¹ British  

/ ˈhaʊzɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. houses or dwellings collectively

   2. ( as modifier )

      a housing problem

2. the act of providing with accommodation

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

4. a part designed to shelter, cover, contain, or support a component, such as a bearing, or a mechanism, such as a pump or wheel

   a bearing housing

   a motor housing

   a wheel housing

5. another word for houseline

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housing ² British  

/ ˈhaʊzɪŋ /

noun

1. archaic (often plural) another word for trappings

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Etymology

Origin of housing¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; house + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Origin of housing²

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”; -ing ¹ added by association with house, housing ¹

Example Sentences

She lives close to buildings housing security institutions, including a complex for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the powerful military and economic force that cracked down on the protests and is largely fighting the war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

He is running for governor on a platform of lower taxes and cutting back the state budget, while helping lower housing and other costs for families.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

You’ve already given him $69,000 toward his housing fund and $95,000 for your granddaughter’s 529 plan and, presumably, you plan to give more when the new baby arrives.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

The back-and-forth over change and the status quo broke to the surface during last month’s housing forum in downtown L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Later, when Hale was being held on a separate tier from the cell housing Blackie Thompson, he passed him a note through a hole where a radiator pipe went through the ceiling.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann