dwelling
Americannoun
noun
Synonym Usage
See house.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dwelling
Explanation
A dwelling is a home — where someone lives. Houses, apartments, and condos are all dwellings. If you know that to dwell means to live somewhere, then the meaning of dwelling won't be a surprise: it's an abode, domicile, or home. Your dwelling might be a house or an apartment. Tents, trailers, and igloos are all dwellings. Anything people live in is a dwelling. If you have no dwelling, then you have no shelter and you're probably homeless.
Vocabulary lists containing dwelling
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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There's No Word Like Home
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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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:
Monthly inflation is likely to have remained around 4.0% on-year, with a sharp fall in fuel prices likely offset by a solid increase for new dwelling costs, rents and holiday travel, according to economists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The home spans 1,836 square feet and is described in its listing as an “enchanting” dwelling that perfectly blends “privacy, character, and serene canyon living.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
As the son of a cobbler, he knows how to tan goat hides, which provide him with the needed coverings for both his dwelling place and his body.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Now, the Sterlings are once again offering up the dwelling as a rental opportunity, listing the property for $13,950 a month—a significant increase on its 2021 asking price of $11,000.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Where it says ‘the dwelling place belonging to’ and so on.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
MetroLoft transformed the 19th-century warehouse into luxury dwellings that attracted A-list celebrities, including actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Meg Ryan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
But its soaring atriums decorated with onyx and green marble could hardly be better calculated to induce jealousy in Trump, who frequently raves about the opulent dwellings of other foreign leaders.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
However, she and Ohanian did not stop there, going on to invest in several other dwellings in Florida and beyond.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
Three years later, it partnered with the art collective Gerard & Kelly on an experimental project performed inside modernist dwellings, including the Schindler House.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
The roar of the Berg was coming from their right, muted by the dwellings and rows of trees in between.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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.
