mansion
Americannoun
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mansions
plural
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a very large, impressive, or stately residence.
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British. Often mansions. a large building with many apartments; apartment house.
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Oriental and Medieval Astronomy. each of 28 divisions of the ecliptic occupied by the moon on successive days.
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Archaic. an abode or dwelling place.
noun
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Also called: mansion house. a large and imposing house
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a less common word for manor house
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archaic any residence
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(plural) a block of flats
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astrology any of 28 divisions of the zodiac each occupied on successive days by the moon
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mansion
1325–75; Middle English < Latin mānsiōn- (stem of mānsiō ) an abiding, abode. See manse, -ion
Explanation
A mansion is a huge, fancy house. Some mansions are eventually turned into museums where you can get a look at an old wealthy family's art and furniture collections. It takes a lot of money and a staff of workers to live in and take care of a mansion. Historically, post-fifteenth century European noblemen lived in mansions that became the typical style of home for aristocrats who no longer required the safety of fortified castles. The word mansion comes from the Latin root mansionem, "a staying or a remaining," from the stem manere, "to stay."
Vocabulary lists containing mansion
American Street
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Dame Maggie Smith (1934–2024) Tribute List
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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.
See Examples For:
The estate that Jackie Keller fought the government to keep is not a grand mansion with manicured lawns, or anything that could be used as a set for HBO’s show “The Gilded Age.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Four London boroughs 'to pay 55% of mansion tax'
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Lynch used the mansion as the home for Laura Dern’s character in his 2006 film “Inland Empire,” and also filmed an Armani commercial there in the 1990s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The mansion is currently registered to a limited liability company.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
“You live in a mansion in a gated community and go to an expensive private school. What are the chances that we would ever have met?”
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
She argued the tax is stopping needed development in the city because it applies not only to mansions, but apartment buildings as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
She refuses to be drawn when asked if her family occupy mansions in The Gambia, and how they were paid for.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Immigrants lived near the mission, and esteemed Spanish Mexican families lived in large mansions around the churches that dot Old Town in the mid-19th century — many came post-Spanish-Mexican wars.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
In 2020, he became part of the gold rush of influencers who moved into mansions in Los Angeles to make content together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
The fog covers the pastel Victorian mansions in Pacific Heights and shrouds the rainbow-colored houses in the Haight.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
