housing
1 Americannoun
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any shelter, lodging, or dwelling place.
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houses collectively.
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the act of one who houses or puts under shelter.
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the providing of houses for a group or community.
the housing of an influx of laborers.
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anything that covers or protects.
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Machinery. a fully enclosed case and support for a mechanism.
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Carpentry. the space made in one piece of wood, or the like, for the insertion of another.
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Nautical.
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Also called bury. the portion of a mast below the deck.
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Also called bury. the portion of a bowsprit aft of the forward part of the stem of a vessel.
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the doubling of an upper mast.
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a niche for a statue.
noun
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a covering of cloth for the back and flanks of a horse or other animal, for protection or ornament.
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housings, the trappings on a horse.
noun
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houses or dwellings collectively
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( as modifier )
a housing problem
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the act of providing with accommodation
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a hole, recess, groove, or slot made in one wooden member to receive another
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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
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another word for houseline
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
California’s three most powerful elected leaders — for the first time, all Latino — in their private meeting discussed healthcare, energy costs, artificial intelligence and implementing funding from an $11.25-billion housing bond voters approved Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
He has previously compared trying to solve the housing crisis while continuing to sell social homes to "trying to fill a bath with the plug out".
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Administrators overseeing housing, student activities and orientation meet often to discuss melt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
A camera operator built a custom housing that kept his hands warm at –40 degrees Celsius while he maintained enough dexterity to fly a drone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Figuring out how, exactly, to do that is no easy task, however, when your felony record operates to bar you from any public housing assistance.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.