house
gb/hˈaʊs/ us/hˈaʊs/
A1
English
~ 2100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
A building for human habitation
A building where people live.
Usage pattern:
[someone] lives in a house
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'house' with 'home'. 'House' is the physical building; 'home' can mean the place you feel you belong.
Synonyms
home (Often used more personally or emotionally, not just for the physical building.)
|
residence (More formal; refers to the place where someone lives.)
Antonyms
apartment (A self-contained unit in a larger building, not a standalone building.)
Collocations
detached house
|semi-detached house
|terraced house
|two-story house
|family house
Themes
daily life
|home
|architecture
|housing
|daily_life
Examples
- They bought a new house near the beach.
- The old house needs a lot of repairs.
- We painted the outside of the house last summer.
- Her house has three bedrooms and a large garden.
Learner examples
- My friend lives in a big house.
- The house is white and has a red roof.
- We eat dinner inside the house.
- There is a small house on the hill.
Noun
A2
entity
2
People living together in one home
The people who live in one home together.
Usage pattern:
a house of [number] people
Synonyms
household (More common in formal or statistical contexts.)
Collocations
a busy house
|a quiet house
Themes
daily life
|family
|daily_life
|relationships
Examples
- Our house gets very busy during the holidays.
- The whole house was asleep when I got home.
- There are five people in this house.
Learner examples
- There are four people in my house.
- The house is quiet now because everyone is out.
- My house wakes up early every day.
Noun
B1
entity
3
Company or institution, often in arts or trade
A company that makes or sells something, often in fashion, books, or theater.
Usage pattern:
a [type] house
Synonyms
company (General term for a business; not limited to creative industries.)
Collocations
publishing house
|fashion house
|opera house
Themes
business
|arts
|work
Examples
- She works for a major fashion house in Paris.
- The publishing house released three new novels this month.
- The opera house was full for the premiere.
Learner examples
- The fashion house makes beautiful dresses.
- He works at a big publishing house.
- We went to the opera house to see a show.
Verb
B1
action
4
Provide space or shelter for someone/something
To give someone a place to live or keep something in a place.
Usage pattern:
to house [someone/something]
Synonyms
accommodate (Often more formal; can refer to meeting needs beyond just providing space.)
Collocations
house refugees
|house equipment
Themes
daily life
|housing
|daily_life
Examples
- The building houses several small businesses.
- They housed the refugees in community centers.
- The museum houses an impressive art collection.
Learner examples
- The hotel can house 200 people.
- This box houses my old photos.
- They will house the animals in a shelter.
Noun
B2
entity
5
Legislative assembly or its chamber
A group of people who make laws, or the place where they meet.
Usage pattern:
the House of [name]
Synonyms
chamber (Formal term for a legislative room or body.)
Collocations
House of Representatives
|upper house
|lower house
Themes
politics
|law
Examples
- The bill passed in both houses of Parliament.
- The House of Representatives voted on the new law.
- The upper house rejected the proposal.
Learner examples
- The House of Representatives makes laws.
- Both houses agreed on the bill.
- The lower house voted yes.
Grammar
Dictionary form
house
IPA
GB/hˈaʊs/
US/hˈaʊs/
Syllables & stress
house (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (house)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: house
- Plural: houses
Verb
- Base: house
- 3rd Person Singular: houses
- Present Participle: housing
- Past: housed
Word family
Expressions
bring the house down
1/bɹˈɪŋ ðə hˈaʊs dˈaʊn/
idiom
informal
Cause loud applause or laughter from audience
To make an audience clap or laugh very loudly and happily.
Examples
- Her performance brought the house down at the comedy club.
- The singer's final song brought the house down.
full house
1/fˈʊl hˈaʊs/
fixed phrase
Completely full venue or specific poker hand
When all seats are taken at an event, or in poker, a hand with three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
Examples
- It was a full house at the theater last night.
- He won with a full house of kings over tens.
keep house
1/kˈip hˈaʊs/
fixed phrase
Manage household tasks and chores
To take care of all the work needed to run a home.
Examples
- She keeps house while her partner works full-time.
- In those days, most women stayed home to keep house.
on the house
1/ˈɔn ðə hˈaʊs/
fixed phrase
Provided free by the business
Given to you free by a restaurant, bar, etc.
Examples
- Dessert is on the house tonight.
- They gave us drinks on the house to apologize for the delay.
safe as houses
1/sˈeɪf ˈæz hˈaʊzɪz/
idiom
informal
Very safe and secure
Very safe; with no risk of danger or loss.
Examples
- Your money will be safe as houses in this bank.
- With that security system, the place is safe as houses.