house
noun /haʊs/
/haʊs/
(plural houses
Idioms /ˈhaʊzɪz/
/ˈhaʊzɪz/
)
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enlarge image[countable] a building for people to live in, usually for one family- in a house We live in a two-bedroom house.
- in the house It was so hot outside we stayed in the house.
- into the house He went into the house.
- out of the house I had to get out of the house.
- inside the house A light was on inside the house.
- outside the house There was a police van parked outside the house.
- at somebody's house Let's have a party at my house.
- We need to build more houses in a way that respects the needs of the environment.
- Investors were buying houses to rent them out.
- What time do you leave the house in the morning (= to go to work)?
- (British English) We're moving house (= leaving our house and going to live in a different one).
- House prices (= prices of houses and flats) in London are still rising.
- We went on a tour of the house and grounds (= for example, at a country house, open to the public).
- They went from house to house, begging for food.
Collocations Moving houseMoving house Renting- live in a rented/(especially North American English) rental property
- rent/share/move into a furnished house/(British English) flat/(especially North American English) apartment
- rent a studio/(British English) a studio flat/(especially North American English) a studio apartment/(British English) a bedsit
- find/get a housemate/(British English) a flatmate/(North American English) a roommate
- sign/break the lease/rental agreement/contract
- extend/renew/terminate the lease/(British English) tenancy
- afford/pay the rent/the bills/(North American English) the utilities
- (especially British English) fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the rent
- pay/lose/return a damage deposit/(North American English) security deposit
- give/receive a month’s/two-weeks’ notice to leave/vacate the property
- have a flat/an apartment/a room (British English) to let/(especially North American English) for rent
- rent (out)/lease (out)/ (British English) let (out)/sublet a flat/an apartment/a house/a property
- collect/increase/raise the rent
- evict the existing tenants
- attract/find new/prospective tenants
- invest in rental property/(British English) property to let/(British English) the buy-to-let market
- buy/acquire/purchase a house/(a) property/(especially North American English) (a piece of) prime real estate
- call/contact/use (British English) an estate agent/(North American English) a Realtor™/(North American English) a real estate agent/broker
- make/ (British English) put in an offer on a house
- put down/save for (British English) a deposit on a house
- make/put/save for (especially North American English) a down payment on a house/home
- apply for/arrange/take out a mortgage/home loan
- (struggle to) pay the mortgage
- make/meet/keep up/cover the monthly mortgage payments/(British English also) repayments
- (British English) repossess/ (especially North American English) foreclose on somebody’s home/house
- put your house/property on the market/up for sale/up for auction
- increase/lower your price/the asking price
- have/hold/hand over the deed/(especially British English) deeds of/to the house, land, etc.
Collocations Decorating and home improvementDecorating and home improvementHouses- refurbish/renovate/ (British English) do up a building/a house
- convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially North American English) apartments/(British English) flats
- extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
- build (British English) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(North American English) an addition (on/to something)/(British English) a conservatory
- knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
- knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
- furnish/paint/ (especially British English) decorate a home/a house/an apartment/a flat/a room
- be decorated in bright colours/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings
- paint/plaster the walls/ceiling
- hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper
- install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(British English) fittings
- build/put up shelves
- lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio
- put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
- do (British English) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring
- make home improvements
- add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
- fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
- insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially British English) the loft
- fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially British English) tap/(North American English usually) faucet
- block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink
- make/drill/fill a hole
- hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
- tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw
- saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
Wordfindersee also Buck House, frame house, mews house, penthouse, row house, safe house, show house- accommodation
- deed
- home
- house
- lease
- let
- location
- mortgage
- squat
- tenant
Extra ExamplesTopics Houses and homesa1, Buildingsa1- I finally tracked him down at his house in Denver.
- I live in a group/shared house.
- It was easy to get lost in the rambling house.
- It's stressful moving house.
- Our challenge was to add onto the house in a respectful way.
- Police officers have been searching the house for clues.
- She shares a house with three other nurses.
- The bank offers attractive rates to first-time house buyers.
- The great house stood on the edge of the town.
- The house faces south, making the most of the sun.
- The house loomed over him as he waited at the front door.
- The house stood a short distance from the wood.
- Their house was repossessed when they couldn't keep up their mortgage payments.
- They bought an old house and are gradually renovating it.
- They built their own dream house overlooking the river.
- They helped us with our house move.
- They lived in a modest semi-detached house in the suburbs.
- They've moved house and have invited us to their house-warming on Saturday.
- We let out our house when we moved to America.
- We're hoping to extend the house.
- We're only planning on renting the house out for a few years.
- We had to move out of our house.
- a house occupied by students
- houses overlooking the park
- She went from house to house collecting signatures for her campaign.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- beautiful
- comfortable
- elegant
- …
- live in
- occupy
- share
- …
- be situated
- lie
- stand
- …
- agent
- buyer
- owner
- …
- at somebody’s/the house
- from house to house
- in a/the house
- …
- [singular] all the people living in a house synonym household
- Be quiet or you'll wake the whole house!
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- beautiful
- comfortable
- elegant
- …
- live in
- occupy
- share
- …
- be situated
- lie
- stand
- …
- agent
- buyer
- owner
- …
- at somebody’s/the house
- from house to house
- in a/the house
- …
- [countable] (in compounds) a building used for a particular purpose, for example for holding meetings in or keeping animals or goods in
- an opera house
- a henhouse
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- beautiful
- comfortable
- elegant
- …
- live in
- occupy
- share
- …
- be situated
- lie
- stand
- …
- agent
- buyer
- owner
- …
- at somebody’s/the house
- from house to house
- in a/the house
- …
- House[singular] (British English) used in the names of office buildings
- Their offices are on the second floor of Chester House.
- [countable] (in compounds) a company involved in a particular kind of business; an institution of a particular kind
- a fashion/banking/publishing house
- a religious house (= a convent or a monastery)
Extra Examples- The publishing house made its name by encouraging first-time writers.
- She was a house model for Gucci (= a model employed by hte Gucci fashion house).
- [countable] (in compounds) a restaurant
- a steakhouse
- a coffee house
- a bottle of house wine (= the cheapest wine available in a particular restaurant, sometimes not listed by name)
- [countable] (often House)a group of people who meet to discuss and make the laws of a country
- Legislation requires approval by both houses of parliament.
Extra Examples- The ‘Bundersrat’ is the upper house of the German parliament.
- Elections to the lower house of parliament are by proportional representation.
- the House[singular] the House of Commons or the House of Lords in the UK; the House of Representatives in the US
- the house[singular] a group of people discussing something in a formal debate
- I urge the house to vote against the motion.
- [countable] the part of a theatre where the audience sits; the audience at a particular performance
- playing to a full/packed/empty house (= to a large/small audience)
- The spotlight faded and the house lights came up.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- empty
- full
- packed
- …
- play to
- lights
- manager
- bring the house down
- front of house
- [countable] (in some British schools) an organized group of students of different ages who compete against other groups in sports competitions, etc. and who may, in boarding schools, live together in one buildingTopics Educationc2
- [countable] (usually the House of…)an old and famous family
- the House of Windsor (= the British royal family)
- (also house)[uncountable] a type of electronic dance music with a fast beat see also acid house, art house, open house, powerhouse
building
company/institution
restaurant
parliament
in debate
in theatre
in school
family
music
Word OriginOld English hūs (noun), hūsian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch huis, German Haus (nouns), and Dutch huizen, German hausen (verbs).
Idioms
bring the house down
- to make everyone laugh or cheer, especially at a performance in the theatre
clean house (North American English)
- to remove people or things that are not necessary or wanted
- The new manager said he wanted to clean house.
- to make your house clean
eat somebody out of house and home
- (informal, often humorous) to eat a lot of somebody else’s food
- How much longer is he staying? He’s eating us out of house and home.
More Like This Alliteration in idiomsAlliteration in idioms- belt and braces
- black and blue
- born and bred
- chalk and cheese
- chop and change
- done and dusted
- down and dirty
- in dribs and drabs
- eat somebody out of house and home
- facts and figures
- fast and furious
- first and foremost
- forgive and forget
- hale and hearty
- hem and haw
- kith and kin
- mix and match
- part and parcel
- puff and pant
- to rack and ruin
- rant and rave
- risk life and limb
- short and sweet
- signed and sealed
- spic and span
- through thick and thin
- this and that
- top and tail
- tried and tested
- wax and wane
get on like a house on fire (British English)
(North American English get along like a house on fire)
- (informal) (of people) to become friends quickly and have a very friendly relationshipTopics Family and relationshipsc2
go all round the houses
- (British English, informal) to do something or ask a question in a very complicated way instead of in a simple, direct way
- You did go all round the houses didn’t you? Why not get straight to the point?
keep house
- to cook, clean and do all the other jobs around the house
- She kept house for her elderly parents.
not a dry eye in the house
- (humorous) used to say that everyone was very emotional about something
- There wasn't a dry eye in the house when they announced their engagement.
on the house
- drinks or meals that are on the house are provided free by the pub or restaurant and you do not have to pay
- Have a drink on the house.
people (who live) in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
- (saying) you should not criticize other people, because they will easily find ways of criticizing you
play house
- (of a child) to play at being a family in its home
- The children were playing house, giving dinner to their dolls.
put/set your (own) house in order
- to organize your own business or improve your own behaviour before you try to criticize somebody else
(as) safe as houses
- (British English) very safeMore Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
set up house
- to make a place your home
- They set up house together in a small flat in Brighton.
- They want to set up house together.