HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

house

(hous)

n. pl. hous·es(houzĭz, -sĭz)

a. A structure serving as a dwelling for one or more persons, especially for a family.

b. A household or family.

2. Something, such as a burrow or shell, that serves as a shelter or habitation for a wild animal.

3. A dwelling for a group of people, such as students or members of a religious community, who live together as a unit: a sorority house.

a. A building that functions as the primary shelter or location of something: a carriage house; the lion house at the zoo.

b. A building devoted to a particular activity: a customs house; a house of worship.

a. A facility, such as a theater or restaurant, that provides entertainment or food for the public: a movie house; the specialty of the house.

b. The seating area in such an establishment: dimmed the lights in the house to signal the start of the show.

c. The audience or patrons of such an establishment: a full house.

a. A commercial firm: a brokerage house.

b. A publishing company: a house that specializes in cookbooks.

c. A gambling casino.

d. Slang A house of prostitution.

7. A residential college within a university.

a. often House A legislative or deliberative assembly.

b. The hall or chamber in which such an assembly meets.

c. A quorum of such an assembly.

9. often House A family line including ancestors and descendants, especially a royal or noble family: the House of Orange.

10.

a. One of the 12 parts into which the heavens are divided in astrology.

b. The sign of the zodiac indicating the seat or station of a planet in the heavens. Also called mansion.

11. House music.

v. (houz) housed, hous·ing, hous·es

v. tr.

1. To provide living quarters for; lodge: The cottage housed ten students.

2. To shelter, keep, or store in a house or other structure: a library housing rare books.

3. To fit (something) into a socket or mortise.

4. Nautical To secure or stow safely.

v. intr.

1. To reside; dwell.

2. To take shelter.

Idioms:

like a house on fire (or afire)Informal

In an extremely speedy manner: ran away like a house on fire; tickets that sold like a house afire.

on the house

At the expense of the establishment; free: food and drinks on the house.

put (or set)(one's) house in order

To organize one's affairs in a sensible, logical way.

[Middle English hous, from Old English hūs.]

House, Son Originally Eddie James House. 1902-1988.

American singer and guitarist. During the 1940s he made many blues recordings for the Library of Congress.

House, Edward Mandell Known as "Colonel House." 1858-1938.

American diplomat and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson. He organized US preparations for the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products