open house

American  

noun

• open houses
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• open houses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of open house

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open house

“I got teary-eyed when I walked up,” says Wendy Osmundson, who approached the carousel during a recent open house while on a stroll around the park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

It cited a 2023 diversity open house, where it alleged staff told applicants they could reveal their race in answers to essay questions or in a diversity statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

They finally managed to put an offer on a house after attending a less heavily attended open house.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

“It’s like when you’re trying to sell your house. You have a very successful open house with 100 people attending, but then nobody calls.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

With the open house set to start in a few minutes, I realized he couldn’t even attempt to take over the event.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu