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.

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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

6. 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

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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; see origin at reside, -ence

Explanation

The house or apartment where you live is your place of residence. If you're house proud, it means you keep your residence nice and tidy. The act of living in a place is also called residence. You might take up residence in an ancient oak tree when the city threatens to cut it down, for example. The official home of a person in a position of power — like a monarch or a president — is also called a residence. The official residence of the British Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, and the residence of the President of the United States is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Example Sentences

If the waters cool quickly enough, the coral can survive on food stores until algae resume residence.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

The Korea Shareholder Action Headquarters, a shareholders' group, on Thursday staged a rally protesting the deal, near the residence of Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Six years after making that move, Harvey put his former Georgia residence on the market, with records showing that it was first listed on Jan. 12 of this year.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

The High Court said that the fines were unlawful because they relied on the assumption that Spain was her tax residence for the 2011 fiscal year, "a fact which has not been proven".

From BBC • May 18, 2026

But soon after, a terrible smell came from the judge's residence.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

Related Words

• apartment
• condo
• dwelling
• hall
• headquarters
• home
• house
• mansion
• palace