Definition of house

Short definition: The word house means a place where people live and feel safe, where families share daily moments, rest after long days, and build memories that slowly turn a simple building into a real home.

Looking for a clear and natural explanation of the word house? The word house is one of the most common words in everyday life. People use it to talk about where they live, where they feel safe, and where memories are made. Sometimes it means the physical building, and sometimes it means the feeling of home itself. In modern language, it can even appear in slang or business talk. Below, each meaning is explained in a calm and natural way, so it feels clear, human, and easy to understand.

Forms: house, houses, housed, housing
Related: home n., building n., shelter n.
Syllable: house

1. (Noun) A building where people live and spend their daily lives.

   A house is a building that people live in, where they sleep, eat, rest, and share everyday moments with family or friends, and for many people it becomes more than just walls and a roof but a place full of memories and comfort.

   After a long day at work, she finally returned to her house, feeling relieved to be in a place where she could relax and be herself again.
   They spent years saving money so they could buy a house that would be big enough for their growing family.
   Every holiday, the old house fills with laughter as relatives come together to celebrate and share stories.

   Synonyms: home, residence, building, dwelling, place to live, family house, living space, shelter, housing, living quarters, property, household
   Antonyms: street, outdoors, open space, homelessness, no shelter, public area, outside world, nowhere to stay, open field, empty land, no home, rough living

2. (Noun) A place that represents comfort safety and the feeling of belonging.

   Beyond the physical building, house can also mean the feeling of home itself, a place where someone feels safe, accepted, and comfortable, even if it is small or simple.

   Even though the apartment was tiny, she called it her house because it was the only place where she truly felt at peace.
   After years of moving around, he finally found a house where he felt he belonged.
   For her, that quiet café felt like a second house where she could escape from stress.

   Synonyms: home feeling, safe place, comfort zone, personal space, base, haven, retreat, cozy place, resting place, warm space, personal corner, safe spot
   Antonyms: unsafe place, чуждое место, cold space, uncomfortable area, stressful place, чужое место, hostile space, no comfort zone, lonely place, unfamiliar area, harsh environment, unsafe zone

3. (Verb) To give someone or something a place to stay or be kept.

   To house someone means to provide them with a place to live or stay, such as when a city houses homeless people or when a building houses an important collection.

   The charity works hard to house families who lost their homes after the disaster.
   This museum houses many valuable artworks from different periods of history.
   The school agreed to house exchange students during the program.

   Synonyms: shelter, accommodate, give a place, provide housing, lodge, host, keep, contain, store, place, protect, support
   Antonyms: evict, remove, kick out, deny shelter, refuse entry, expel, send away, displace, reject, abandon, exclude, turn out

4. (Noun) A group or organization such as a business family or political body.

   In formal and business language, a house can mean an organization or company, like a publishing house or fashion house, where people work together under one name.

   She works for a famous fashion house that designs clothes for celebrities around the world.
   The author signed with a publishing house that helped his books reach international readers.
   That old family house has been running the business for three generations.

   Synonyms: company, firm, organization, business group, brand, institution, enterprise, corporation, agency, collective, office, workplace
   Antonyms: individual, freelancer, solo worker, lone operator, small setup, personal work, one person business, no organization, private effort, independent worker, self run, single unit

5. (Slang) A place that feels like someone’s regular hangout or personal space.

   In casual slang, people sometimes say a place is their house even if they do not live there, meaning it feels like their usual spot where they are always welcome.

   That gaming café is basically his house because he spends almost every evening there with friends.
   She jokes that the library is her second house since she studies there every day.
   For the team, the locker room feels like their house before every big match.

   Synonyms: hangout spot, usual place, second home, base, regular spot, comfort place, go to place, favorite place, safe hangout, main spot, personal corner, chill zone
   Antonyms: strange place, unfamiliar spot, random location, uncomfortable area, new place, unknown space, foreign area, no comfort zone, awkward place, cold space, unsafe spot, unwanted place