household
Americannoun
adjective
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of or relating to a household.
household furniture.
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for use in maintaining a home, especially for use in cooking, cleaning, laundering, repairing, etc., in the home.
a household bleach.
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common or usual; ordinary.
noun
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the people living together in one house collectively
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(modifier) of, relating to, or used in the running of a household; domestic
household management
Etymology
Origin of household
First recorded in 1350–1400, household is from the Middle English word houshold. See house, hold 1
Explanation
How many people does your house hold? That’s your household! A household refers to a family or group of people living together. It’s a social unit under one roof. All the people living in your house, including servants, make up your household. Don’t have any servants? Well, your roommates count as part of your household, too. In the middle of the night, your household might be asleep. Your household income could determine whether or not you get the pool in the backyard. Household can also be an adjective to describe — you guessed it — things that are in your house, like household appliances or household furniture.
Vocabulary lists containing household
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.
So she traded the Instagram-worthy, slime-making and sensory bucket activities that required hours of prep and started enlisting her kids’ help with household chores and gardening.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
In 2017, when Sydney’s father was dying, he hired Sharon Zissman to help pay the household bills and oversee the everyday financial nuisances that he feared would burden his wife and family after his death.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
“It’s not like this person was a household name that was attracting all this talent,” Romo said.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
Consumers are cutting back on how much they’re spending to fill up their gas tanks these days, and most household budgets are still getting walloped by higher prices.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
As if Eusie’s arrival had broken down a last hesitation, within a week there were three new permanent additions to the household.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions 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.
