lodger

American  

[loj-er] / ˈlɒdʒ ər /

noun

1. a person who lives in rented quarters in another's house; roomer.

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lodger British  

/ ˈlɒdʒə /

noun

1. a person who pays rent in return for accommodation in someone else's house

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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."

Example Sentences

Recognizing her as a fellow lodger, Sellers sent his valet to knock on her door.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

By 1891, John had moved to Edinburgh and was living as a lodger with a widowed pianoforte maker, Richard Honeyman, 70, and his daughter, Helen, 45.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2024

“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

Further breaches could result in penalties of to £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier, up from £500 and £3,000 respectively.

From BBC • Aug. 6, 2023

The mother, however, accepted a chair offered by one lodger.

From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka