house

house¹ W1S1 [haus] n plural houses [ˈhauzız]

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1¦(where someone lives)¦

2¦(building)¦

3¦(government)¦

4¦(company)¦

5¦(theatre)¦

6 in house

7 put/set/get your (own) house in order

8 bring the house down

9 be on the house

10 house wine

11 get on/along like a house on fire

12 set up house

13 keep house

14¦(school)¦

15¦(royal family)¦

16¦(music)¦

17 house of God/worship

18 this house

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[: Old English; Origin: hus]

1.) ¦(WHERE SOMEONE LIVES)¦

a) a building that someone lives in, especially one that has more than one level and is intended to be used by one family

▪ a four bedroom house

in a house

▪ every room in the house

at sb's house

▪ We met at Alison's house.

▪ Why don't you all come over to our house for coffee?

move house

BrE (=leave your house and go to live in another one)

b) the house

all the people who live in a house

= ↑household

▪ He gets up at six and disturbs the whole house.

2.) ¦(BUILDING)¦

a) opera/court/movie etc house

a large public building used for a particular purpose

b) House

BrE used in the names of large buildings, especially offices

▪ the BBC television studios at Broadcasting House

c) hen house/coach house/storehouse etc

a building used for a particular purpose

3.) ¦(GOVERNMENT)¦

a group of people who make the laws of a country

▪ The President will address both houses of Congress.

the House of Commons/Lords/Representatives/Assembly

▪ the speaker of the house

→↑Lower House, ↑Upper House

4.) ¦(COMPANY)¦

a company, especially one involved in a particular area of business

▪ America's oldest publishing house

▪ a small independent software house

▪ an auction house

▪ a famous Italian fashion house

5.) ¦(THEATRE)¦

a) the part of a theatre, cinema etc where people sit

≠ ↑backstage

▪ The show has been playing to full houses .

▪ The house was half empty.

▪ The house lights went down and the music started.

b) the people who have come to watch a performance

= ↑audience

full/packed/empty house

(=a large or small audience)

▪ The show has been playing to packed houses since it opened.

▪ A cheer went round the house (=everyone cheered) .

6.) in house

if you work in house, you work at the offices of a company or organization, not at home

→↑in-house

7.) put/set/get your (own) house in order

used to say that someone should improve the way they behave before criticizing other people

8.) bring the house down

to make a lot of people laugh, especially when you are acting in a theatre

9.) be on the house

if drinks or meals are on the house, you do not have to pay for them because they are provided free by the owner of the bar, restaurant etc

10.) house wine also house red/white

ordinary wine that is provided by a restaurant to be drunk with meals

▪ A glass of house red, please.

11.) get on/along like a house on fire

BrE informal to quickly have a very friendly relationship

12.) set up house

to start to live in a house, especially with another person

▪ The two of them set up house in Brighton.

13.) keep house

to regularly do all the cleaning, cooking etc in a house

▪ His daughter keeps house for him.

14.) ¦(SCHOOL)¦ BrE

in some schools, one of the groups that children of different ages are divided into to compete against each other, for example in sports competitions

15.) ¦(ROYAL FAMILY)¦

an important family, especially a royal family

▪ the House of Windsor

16.) ¦(MUSIC)¦[U]

↑house music

17.) house of God/worship

literary a church

18.) this house

formal used to mean the people who are voting in a formal ↑debate when you are stating the proposal that is being discussed

→↑doll's house,eat sb out of house and home at ↑eat(10), ↑open house, ↑public house

→(as) safe as houses at ↑safe¹ (5)

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WORD FOCUS: house

types of house: terraced house (BrE) row house (AmE) one of several houses that are joined together

detached house (BrE) a house that is not joined to another house

semi-detached house (BrE) a house that is attached to another house on one side

cottage a small house in the country

bungalow (BrE) a small house with one floor

duplex (AmE) a house that is divided into two separate homes

apartment also flat (BrE) a set of rooms where someone lives, which is part of a larger building

condominium/condo (BrE) an apartment in a large building, which is owned by the people who live there

studio apartment/studio also bedsit (BrE) an apartment with one main room and no separate bedroom

a very large house: mansion, palace, country house (BrE), stately home (BrE)

someone who sells houses and land: estate agent (BrE), real estate agent (AmE), realtor (AmE)

someone who rents a house from another person: tenant

someone who owns a house and rents it to people: landlord, landlady

See also: residence, property, dwelling, abode, lease, lessee

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house ²

house² [hauz] v [T]

1.) to provide someone with a place to live

house in

▪ The refugees are being housed in temporary accommodation.

2.) if a building, place, or container houses something, it is kept there

house in

▪ The collection is currently housed in the British Museum.

▪ the plastic case which houses the batteries