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house

houses; housing; housed

A house is a building where you might live alone or it could be a multi-family house that you share with other families. If you live in an apartment building, that's "home," but it's not a house.

You can also use house to refer to groups of people. The House of Tudor is an English royal family. Governing bodies can be houses: the Houses of Parliament, in Britain, or the House of Representatives, in the US. In a theater, the house is the audience. When house is a verb, meaning to provide a house for, as in “where are you going to house all your guests?” — it’s pronounced with a -z-, rather than an -s-.

Definitions of house
  1. noun
    a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
    “he has a house on Cape Cod”
    “she felt she had to get out of the house
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    beach house
    a house built on or near a beach
    boarding house, boardinghouse
    a private house that provides accommodations and meals for paying guests
    bungalow, cottage
    a small house with a single story
    cabin
    a small house built of wood; usually in a wooded area
    chalet
    a Swiss house with a sloping roof and wide eaves or a house built in this style
    chapterhouse, frat house, fraternity house
    a house used as a residence by a chapter of a fraternity
    country house
    a house (usually large and impressive) on an estate in the country
    detached house, single dwelling
    a house that stands alone
    doll's house, dollhouse
    a house so small that it is likened to a child's plaything
    duplex, duplex house, semidetached house
    a house with two units sharing a common wall
    farmhouse
    house for a farmer and family
    gatehouse
    a house built at a gateway; usually the gatekeeper's residence
    guesthouse
    a house separate from the main house; for housing guests
    hacienda
    the main house on a ranch or large estate
    hunting lodge, lodge
    a small (rustic) house used as a temporary shelter
    lodging house, rooming house
    a house where rooms are rented
    maisonette, maisonnette
    a small house
    hall, manse, mansion, mansion house, residence
    a large and imposing house
    ranch house
    a one story house with a low pitched roof
    residence
    the official house or establishment of an important person (as a sovereign or president)
    row house, town house
    a house that is one of a row of identical houses situated side by side and sharing common walls
    safe house
    a house used as a hiding place or refuge by members of certain organizations
    saltbox
    a type of house built in New England; has two stories in front and one behind
    adobe house, sod house, soddy
    a house built of sod or adobe laid in horizontal courses
    solar house
    a house designed to use solar radiation for heating; usually has large areas of glass in front of heat-absorbing materials
    tract house
    one of many houses of similar design constructed together on a tract of land
    villa
    detached or semidetached suburban house
    bed and breakfast, bed-and-breakfast
    an overnight boardinghouse with breakfast
    brownstone
    a row house built of brownstone; reddish brown in color
    chateau
    an impressive country house (or castle) in France
    court
    the residence of a sovereign or member of the nobility
    dacha
    Russian country house
    deanery
    the official residence of a dean
    dosshouse, flophouse
    a cheap lodging house
    lodge
    small house at the entrance to the grounds of a country mansion; usually occupied by a gatekeeper or gardener
    log cabin
    a cabin built with logs
    manor, manor house
    the mansion of a lord or wealthy person
    manse
    the residence of a clergyman (especially a Presbyterian clergyman)
    palace
    official residence of an exalted person (as a sovereign)
    castle, palace
    a large and stately mansion
    parsonage, rectory, vicarage
    an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector
    cloister, religious residence
    residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
    shooting box, shooting lodge
    a small country house used by hunters during the shooting season
    stately home
    a mansion that is (or formerly was) occupied by an aristocratic family
    summer house
    a country house (usually located in the country) that provides a cool place to live in the summer
    terraced house
    a house that is part of a terrace
    villa
    pretentious and luxurious country residence with extensive grounds
    villa
    country house in ancient Rome consisting of residential quarters and farm buildings around a courtyard
    type of:
    building, edifice
    a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
    abode, domicile, dwelling, dwelling house, habitation, home
    housing that someone is living in
  2. noun
    a social unit living together
    “I waited until the whole house was asleep”
    synonyms: family, home, household, menage
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    broken home
    a family in which the parents have separated or divorced
    conjugal family, nuclear family
    a family consisting of parents and their children and grandparents of a marital partner
    extended family
    a family consisting of the nuclear family and their blood relatives
    foster family
    the family of a fosterling
    foster home
    a household in which an orphaned or delinquent child is placed (usually by a social-service agency)
    menage a trois
    household for three; an arrangement where a married couple and a lover of one of them live together while sharing sexual relations
    type of:
    social unit, unit
    an organization regarded as part of a larger social group
  3. noun
    the members of a religious community living together
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    type of:
    community
    a group of people living in a particular local area
  4. noun
    play in which children take the roles of father or mother or children and pretend to interact like adults
    “the children were playing house
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    type of:
    child's play, play
    activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
  5. verb
    provide housing for
    “The immigrants were housed in a new development outside the town”
    synonyms: domiciliate, put up
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    rehouse
    put up in a new or different housing
    home
    provide with, or send to, a home
    accommodate, lodge
    provide housing for
    chamber
    place in a chamber
    take in
    provide with shelter
    barrack
    lodge in barracks
    keep
    supply with room and board
    billet, canton, quarter
    provide housing for (military personnel)
    type of:
    shelter
    provide shelter for
  6. noun
    the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments
    “he worked for a brokerage house
    synonyms: business firm, firm
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    corp, corporation
    a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state
    accounting firm
    a firm of accountants who provide accounting and auditing services for a fee
    consulting company, consulting firm
    a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee
    publisher, publishing company, publishing firm, publishing house
    a firm in the publishing business
    dealer
    a firm engaged in trading
    law firm
    a firm of lawyers
    auction house
    a firm that conducts auctions
    conglomerate, empire
    a group of diverse companies under common ownership and run as a single organization
    large cap
    a corporation with a large capitalization
    small cap
    a corporation with a small capitalization
    newspaper, newspaper publisher, paper
    a business firm that publishes newspapers
    magazine, magazine publisher
    a business firm that publishes magazines
    car dealer
    a firm that sells and buys cars
    computer dealer
    a firm that sells and buys computers
    jewelry dealer, jewelry store
    a firm that sells and buys jewelry
    truck dealer
    a firm that sells and buys trucks
    close corporation, closed corporation, private corporation, privately held corporation
    a corporation owned by a few people; shares have no public market
    closely held corporation
    stock is publicly traded but most is held by a few shareholders who have no plans to sell
    shell corporation, shell entity
    a company that is incorporated but has no assets or operations
    FDIC, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
    a federally sponsored corporation that insures accounts in national banks and other qualified institutions
    FHLMC, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac
    a corporation authorized by Congress to provide a secondary market for residential mortgages
    FNMA, Fannie Mae, Federal National Mortgage Association
    a federally chartered corporation that purchases mortgages
    Boy Scouts of America
    a corporation that operates through a national council that charters local councils all over the United States; the purpose is character building and citizenship training
    type of:
    business, business concern, business organisation, business organization, concern
    a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
  7. noun
    the management of a gambling house or casino
    “the house gets a percentage of every bet”
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    type of:
    management
    those in charge of running a business
  8. noun
    a building in which something is sheltered or located
    “they had a large carriage house
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    bagnio, bathhouse
    a building containing public baths
    courthouse
    a building that houses judicial courts
    field house, sports arena
    a building for indoor sports
    icehouse
    a house for storing ice
    meat house
    a small house (on a farm) where meat is stored
    oast house
    a building containing an oast (a kiln for drying hops); usually has a conical or pyramidal roof
    pump house, pumping station
    a house where pumps (e.g. to irrigate) are installed and operated
    meat house, smokehouse
    a small house where smoke is used to cure meat or fish
    stash house
    a house where weapons and supplies are hidden
    pump room
    a pump house at a spa where medicinal waters are pumped and where patrons gather
    sudatorium, sudatory
    a bathhouse for hot air baths or steam baths
    type of:
    building, edifice
    a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
  9. noun
    a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
    “the house was full”
    synonyms: theater, theatre
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    arena theater, theater in the round
    a theater arranged with seats around at least three sides of the stage
    cinema, movie house, movie theater, movie theatre, picture palace
    a theater where films are shown
    dinner theater, dinner theatre
    a theater at which dinner is included in the price of admission
    home theater, home theatre
    television and video equipment designed to reproduce in the home the experience of being in a movie theater
    little theater, little theatre
    a small theater for experimental drama or collegiate or community groups
    music hall, vaudeville theater, vaudeville theatre
    a theater in which vaudeville is staged
    opera, opera house
    a building where musical dramas are performed
    bioscope
    a South African movie theater
    fleapit
    an old shabby movie theater
    multiplex
    a movie theater than has several different auditoriums in the same building
    type of:
    building, edifice
    a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
  10. noun
    the audience gathered together in a theatre or cinema
    “the house applauded”
    “he counted the house
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    type of:
    audience
    a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance
  11. noun
    (astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
    synonyms: mansion, planetary house, sign, sign of the zodiac, star sign
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    Aries the Ram
    the first sign of the zodiac which the sun enters at the vernal equinox; the sun is in this sign from about March 21 to April 19
    Taurus the Bull
    the second sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about April 20 to May 20
    Gemini the Twins
    the third sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about May 21 to June 20
    Cancer the Crab
    the fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22
    Leo the Lion
    the fifth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about July 23 to August 22
    Virgo the Virgin
    the sixth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about August 23 to September 22
    Libra the Balance
    the seventh sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about September 23 to October 22
    Scorpio the Scorpion
    the eighth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about October 23 to November 21
    Sagittarius the Archer
    the ninth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about November 22 to December 21
    Capricorn the Goat
    the tenth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about December 22 to January 19
    Aquarius the Water Bearer
    the eleventh sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about January 20 to February 18
    Pisces the Fishes
    the twelfth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about February 19 to March 20
    type of:
    part, region
    the extended spatial location of something
  12. noun
    aristocratic family line
    “the House of York”
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    royal family, royal house, royal line, royalty
    royal persons collectively
    Medici
    aristocratic Italian family of powerful merchants and bankers who ruled Florence in the 15th century
    Hanover, Hanoverian line, House of Hanover
    the English royal house that reigned from 1714 to 1901 (from George I to Victoria)
    Habsburg, Hapsburg
    a royal German family that provided rulers for several European states and wore the crown of the Holy Roman Empire from 1440 to 1806
    Hohenzollern
    a German noble family that ruled Brandenburg and Prussia
    House of Lancaster, Lancaster, Lancastrian line
    the English royal house that reigned from 1399 to 1461; its emblem was a red rose
    Plantagenet, Plantagenet line
    the family name of a line of English kings that reigned from 1154 to 1485
    Romanoff, Romanov
    the Russian imperial line that ruled from 1613 to 1917
    Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
    the name of the royal family that ruled Great Britain from 1901-1917; the name was changed to Windsor in 1917 in response to anti-German feelings in World War I
    Stuart
    the royal family that ruled Scotland from 1371-1714 and ruled England from 1603 to 1649 and again from 1660 to 1714
    House of York, York
    the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
    type of:
    family, family line, folk, kinfolk, kinsfolk, phratry, sept
    people descended from a common ancestor
  13. noun
    an official assembly having legislative powers
    “a bicameral legislature has two houses
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    House of Representatives, U.S. House, U.S. House of Representatives, US House, US House of Representatives, United States House of Representatives
    the lower legislative house of the United States Congress
    House of Burgesses
    the lower house of legislature in colonial Virginia
    British House of Commons, House of Commons
    the lower house of the British parliament
    British House of Lords, House of Lords
    the upper house of the British parliament
    Dail, Dail Eireann
    the lower house of the parliament of the Irish Republic
    Seanad, Seanad Eireann
    the upper house of the parliament of the Irish Republic
    type of:
    general assembly, law-makers, legislative assembly, legislative body, legislature
    persons who make or amend or repeal laws
  14. verb
    contain or cover
    “This box houses the gears”
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    type of:
    accommodate, admit, hold
    have room for; hold without crowding
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘house'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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