house

Other forms: 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”

   types:

   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

   types:

   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
   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”

   type of:

   child's play, play

   activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
5. 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

   types:

   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
6. noun

   the management of a gambling house or casino
   “the house gets a percentage of every bet”

   type of:

   management

   those in charge of running a business
7. noun

   a building in which something is sheltered or located
   “they had a large carriage house”

   types:

   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
8. noun

   a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
   “the house was full”

   synonyms: theater, theatre

   types:

   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
9. noun

   the audience gathered together in a theatre or cinema
   “the house applauded”

   “he counted the house”

   type of:

   audience

   a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance
10. noun

    (astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
    synonyms: mansion, planetary house, sign, sign of the zodiac, star sign

    examples:

    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
11. noun

    aristocratic family line
    “the House of York”

    types:

    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
12. noun

    an official assembly having legislative powers
    “a bicameral legislature has two houses”

    types:

    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