residence
Americannoun
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residences
plural
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the place, especially the house, in which a person lives or resides; dwelling; home.
Their residence is in New York City.
- Synonyms:
- domicile, habitation
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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
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the act or fact of residing.
during his residence in Spain.
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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.
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the time during which a person resides in a place.
a residence there of five years.
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the location of the main offices or principal center of business activity of a commercial enterprise, especially a large corporation, as registered under law.
-
Chemistry. residence time.
noun
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the place in which one resides; abode or home
-
a large imposing house; mansion
-
the fact of residing in a place or a period of residing
-
the official house of the governor of any of various countries
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the state of being officially present
-
-
actually resident
the royal standard indicates that the Queen is in residence
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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
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the seat of some inherent quality, characteristic, etc
Synonym Usage
See house.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing residence
There's No Word Like Home
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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"Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky"
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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.
See Examples For:
Jacobs’ residence is constructed from stone and plaster, with a slate roof and copper trim.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Protesters also gathered outside the vice-president's residence in Farato, where banners at an office of Barrow's ruling National People's Party were damaged.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
On the third day, they climbed to a high point from which they could see the flattened area where his brother’s two-story residence building once stood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
A man identified only as “Suspect Arreola” was detained Tuesday after Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant at his Compton residence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The bees had taken up residence in an old termite nest.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Critics say these rentals have contributed to housing shortages by tying up homes and apartments that might otherwise be people’s full-time residences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Federal law requires candidates who aren’t currently in Congress to report all loans exceeding $10,000, except those for personal residences.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
The sprawling retreat encompasses hundreds of acres and features five main residences, along with dozens of private beaches, an outdoor theater, a gym and tennis courts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
In the last decade, states have started mandating individual meters in multifamily buildings; in 2018, California began requiring that water submeters be installed in newly constructed residences with two or more units.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
They wove through a neighborhood where the homes became increasingly larger and the grounds more vast, until the residences disappeared entirely behind gates and ivy-covered walls.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
