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

No one was just driving around from open house to open house, and real estate agents weren’t about to ferry mere looky-loos around.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO—At a Pacific Heights open house in January, a line of people made their way up the steps of a two-bedroom, one-bath cooperative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

“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

The open house ends on 7 December and is sold out with a waiting list of 500 people.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

I punch the address from the poster into my phone and see that the open house isn’t far.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio