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open house

/ˌˈoʊpən ˌˈhaʊs/
/ˈʌʊpɛn haʊs/
IPA guide

Other forms: open houses

An open house is a loosely organized social event — a party that's open to anyone who wants to come, at any time. You might have an open house to welcome your new next door neighbors.

As opposed to a formal party that starts at a certain time and has a specific guest list, an open house is a casual celebration. You can also use this term for the event a realtor arranges at a home that's for sale, a day when it's open for touring to prospective buyers. Before it became the name of a kind of party, open house was used as a noun phrase meaning "hospitality for all visitors."

Definitions of open house
  1. noun
    an informal party of people with hospitality for all comers
    see moresee less
    type of:
    party
    a group of people gathered together for pleasure
Pronunciation
US
/ˌˈoʊpən ˌˈhaʊs/
UK
/ˈʌʊpɛn haʊs/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘open house'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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