open house

American  

noun

1. a party or reception during which anyone who wishes may visit to share in a celebration, meet a special guest, etc.

2. a time during which a school, institution, etc., is open to the public for exhibition or for some specific occasion.

3. a house hospitably open to all friends who may wish to visit it.

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idioms

1. keep open house, to be prepared to entertain visitors at any time.

   They keep open house for artists and writers.

open house British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): open day.   at-home.  an occasion on which an institution, such as a school, is open for inspection by the public

2. to be always ready to provide hospitality

3. a house available for inspection by prospective buyers

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Etymology

Origin of open house

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

“You’d see the enthusiastic eighth-grader dragging the skeptical parents” to open house events years ago, said Tom Hickey, the superintendent of South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

That open house was pivotal in driving partnership agreements and started to fuel the franchise’s success, O’Connor said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

At a recent open house in Scarsdale, the report went on, a real-estate agent said the SUVs were double-parked down the block.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

She also learned that the squirrel had also attacked a young girl and her aunt while they toured an open house on the same street.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

“Dessert. Got it at the open house for you.”

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali