on the house

Idioms  

1. At the expense of the establishment, as in This hotel serves an afternoon tea that's on the house. This idiom uses house in the sense of “an inn, tavern, or other building serving the public.” [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Her family left London for Kent in 1940 but their home was in the direct line of the German bombers and a bomb landed on the house.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Before the fires, the value of their property had appreciated to $1.2 million, though Ford still owes nearly $500,000 on the house after his father refinanced several times.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

There has been a reverse mortgage on the house for over 20 years.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 5, 2026

"Before long people in this street won't get insurance, because the cost of it is so much - I find it very difficult to afford the insurance on the house," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025

A numbed dreariness descended on the house, everyone moving in slow motion in the gloom of Miltown and recent events.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez