hovel
Americannoun
-
hovels
plural
-
a small, very humble dwelling house; a wretched hut.
-
any dirty, disorganized dwelling.
-
an open shed, as for sheltering cattle or tools.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a ramshackle dwelling place
-
an open shed for livestock, carts, etc
-
the conical building enclosing a kiln
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hovel
1375–1425; late Middle English hovell, of uncertain origin
Explanation
A hovel is a small shed or dwelling, often messy, cramped, and crudely built, such as a shelter in a refugee camp — or possibly your apartment if you have too much stuff and not enough time to clean. The word hovel was used in the fifteenth century to describe a shed used for animals, and by the seventeenth century the word had taken on its current usage as a way to describe a crude human dwelling — though the connotation of a messiness associated with animals still remains. The word can be used literally to describe something that is a ramshackle shack, but you’ll also hear it used with wry humor to describe a person’s modest living quarters: “Well, I’m off to my hovel to get some sleep.”
Vocabulary lists containing hovel
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mythology
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
“This isn’t just a missing person case,” said Travis Harrison, a producer at NewsNation, which has pulled together a hovel of satellites and folding chairs in the prime real estate perpendicular to Guthrie’s address.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026
As for what was built at Cinecitta, two favorite sets for Gropman were Tom’s New York hovel and his well-appointed, furnished Rome apartment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2024
Eventually they squeezed into a hovel before being discovered by a turncoat cabinet member.
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2024
“I used to leap out of the hovel semi-naked every night, shouting impenetrable Shakespearean mad talk,” he said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2023
“There’s not enough room in this hovel for more than two of us!” said one man, his elaborate armor and demeanor marking him as the commander.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
Mark me: In the bombed-out hovels of West Berlin, there was a first drag show to hail the city’s resurrection.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2025
Garcetti has acknowledged that he became the public face of homelessness, with the attendant images of sidewalks and underpasses crowded with filthy tents and cardboard hovels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
The brothers also disliked the fact that bookmakers' shops looked like "hovels".
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2021
Whole families were crammed into one-room cellars, hovels, and cheap apartments.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
Cats in malt houses, granaries, ship holds, mansions, and hovels caught a last mouse, setded down to wash their fur and sleep.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
The poet or philosopher, hoveled in penury, without books or scientific instruments, with spare meals and gloomy forebodings, never creates his brightest gem, nor solves his profoundest problem.
From Monks, Popes, and their Political Intrigues by John Alberger
Meantime the crew of the hovelling lugger are in equal, if not greater, danger.
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 2 by Frederick Whymper
The hovelling lugger has generally a crew of ten men, and these receive no regular pay.
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 2 by Frederick Whymper
The tug86 had done her work of saving nobly and well, and had performed it at a time when the hovelling smacks could have done nothing at all.
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 2 by Frederick Whymper
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
