lodger
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of lodger
1250–1300; Middle English loger tent-dweller. See lodge, -er 1
Explanation
A lodger is a person who rents a room in someone's house. If you rent out a room in your house, guess what? You'll have a lodger living with you. As opposed to a renter, who rents an entire apartment or house, a lodger generally leases only a bedroom, sharing the use of the kitchen and bathroom with the house's other inhabitants. You could also call a lodger a "roomer" or a "boarder." Lodger comes from lodge, "small house," from the Old French loge, "hut or cabin."
Vocabulary lists containing lodger
Habibi
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Ripped Away
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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.
The party said he "fell short of time" to update his address on the electoral register after moving in "as a lodger in rented accommodation" when his plans to move elsewhere fell through.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Recognizing her as a fellow lodger, Sellers sent his valet to knock on her door.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
"It's not affordable anymore. I have to have a lodger live in my house just to help me pay and keep my head above water," Kathy added.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2025
“If it was a house, I’d be a lodger or a tenant or whatever you call it in America,” he laughs.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024
The middle lodger smiled, first shaking his head once at his friends, and then looked down at Gregor once more.
From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
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.
