house
13 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of HOUSE
1
a
[count]
:
a building in which a family lives
— often used before another noun
-
Would you like to come to my house for dinner?
-
a two-family house
-
I spent the weekend just puttering around the house.
-
house pets/plants
-
a house guest
-
house parties
b
[singular]
:
the people who live in a house
-
He made enough noise to wake the whole house.
3
[count]
:
a building where students or members of a religious group live
-
a fraternity house
4
a
[count]
:
a group of people who meet to discuss and make the laws of a country
-
The bill has been approved by both houses of Congress.
-
The two houses of the U.S. Congress are the Senate [=the upper house] and the House of Representatives. [=the lower house]
-
The two houses of the British Parliament are the House of Lords [=the upper house] and the House of Commons. [=the lower house]
b
the House
:
house of representatives
—
see also house of commons, house of lords
-
They hope to win enough seats in the election to regain control of the House.
5
[count]
a
:
a specified kind of business
-
a publishing house
-
fashion houses
-
an investment banking house
-
a brokerage house
b
:
a place or building where a specified kind of activity or entertainment occurs
:
a place where an illegal activity occurs
—
see also opera house
-
an auction house
-
a house of God/worship [=a place, such as a church, where people go for religious services]
-
(US) a movie house [=a cinema, (US) a movie theater]
-
a gambling house
-
a house of prostitution
c
:
a particular kind of restaurant
—
see also coffeehouse, steak house
-
We had dinner at the local fish house.
-
a seafood house
-
Oyster stew is a specialty of the house. [=a special dish that is featured in a restaurant]
◊ A house wine is a basic wine that is always available in a restaurant. A house salad and a house (salad) dressing are the regular salad and dressing in a U.S. restaurant.
-
Would you like the house salad or a spinach salad?
-
The house dressing is a creamy vinaigrette.
6
[count]
:
the audience in a theater or concert hall
-
They had a full/packed house on opening night.
-
When the movie ended, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. [=everyone had tears in their eyes]
◊ To bring down the house or to bring the house down is to get great approval and applause or laughter from an audience.
-
His performance brought down the house night after night.
7
House
[count]
:
a royal or noble family including ancestors and all the people who are related to them
-
the House of Tudor
8
[noncount]
:
a type of electronic dance music with a heavy, regular beat
— called also
house music
clean house
US
1
:
to clean the floors, furniture, etc., inside a house
-
He cleans house on Tuesdays.
2
:
to make important basic changes in an organization, business, etc., in order to correct problems
-
After the corruption was revealed, the police chief decided it was time to clean house.
(from) house to house
◊ If you go (from) house to house, you go to each house or apartment in an area and do or ask for something.
-
Volunteers went from house to house asking for donations.
house in order
◊ To put/get/set (etc.) your house in order is to improve or correct the way you do things.
-
We should get our (own) house in order before we criticize others for their mistakes.
-
The company needs to get its financial house in order. [=to correct its financial problems]
keep house
:
to do the work that is needed to take care of a house
—
see also housekeeper, housekeeping
-
When I started living on my own I had no idea how to cook or keep house.
-
You need someone to keep house for you.
like a house on fire
informal
:
extremely well
-
Those two got on/along like a house on fire. [=they liked each other very much]
-
(US) The business started out like a house on fire. [=the business started very successfully]
on the house
people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
play house
◊ When children play house they pretend that they are adults and that they are doing the things that adults do in a house, such as cooking and serving food.
-
She always loved playing house with her little sister.
set up house
:
to become settled in a house where you are going to live
-
They moved to California and set up house in a suburb of Los Angeles.
-
a houseful of guests
houses;
housed;
housing
houses;
housed;
housing
Britannica Dictionary definition of HOUSE
[+ object]
1
:
to provide shelter or a living space for (someone)
— often used as (be) housed
-
More prisons are needed to house the growing number of inmates.
-
The soldiers were housed in poorly heated huts.
2
:
to be a shelter for (something)
:
to store or contain (something)
— often used as (be) housed
-
The museum houses an impressive collection of jewels.
-
The paintings are now housed in the National Gallery.
3
:
to surround or enclose (something) in order to protect it
-
The carpenter built casing to house the hot water pipes.
