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Synonyms

residence

American  
[rez-i-duhns] / ˈrɛz ɪ dəns /

noun

  1. the place, especially the house, in which a person lives or resides; dwelling; home.

    Their residence is in New York City.
    Synonyms:
    domicile, habitation

  2. a structure serving as a dwelling or home, especially one of large proportion and superior quality.

    They have a summer residence in Connecticut.
    Synonyms:
    mansion

  3. the act or fact of residing.

    during his residence in Spain.

  4. the act of living or staying in a specified place while performing official duties, carrying on studies or research, awaiting a divorce, etc..

    She will spend two terms in resident at Oxford University.

  5. the time during which a person resides in a place.

    a residence there of five years.
    Synonyms:
    sojourn, abode, stay

  6. the location of the main offices or principal center of business activity of a commercial enterprise, especially a large corporation, as registered under law.

  7. Chemistry. residence time.

residence British  
/ ˈrɛzɪdəns /

noun

  1. the place in which one resides; abode or home

  2. a large imposing house; mansion

  3. the fact of residing in a place or a period of residing

  4. the official house of the governor of any of various countries

  5. the state of being officially present

    1. actually resident

      the royal standard indicates that the Queen is in residence

    2. designating a creative artist resident for a set period at a university, college, etc, whose role is to stimulate an active interest in the subject

      composer in residence

  7. the seat of some inherent quality, characteristic, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See house.

Etymology

Origin of residence

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin residentia, equivalent to Latin resid(ēre) “to dwell, live in, reside” + -entia noun suffix; reside, -ence

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.

Pope Leo, the first American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, told journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo: "Today... there was this threat against all the people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable."

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

During the trial, Alarcon argued he was staying in a home five miles from his district because he was renovating his in-district home, which he considered his permanent residence.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Pratt listed it as his mailing address, while Heidi listed it as her mailing address and residence.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

One was thought to be targeting the residence of the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat in Saudi Arabia, located a few hundred feet from the embassy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

And after that it was pretty much a blur, bits and pieces of information, and images no one would want taking up residence in one’s brain.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

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.