house
he lives in a big house
a building that someone lives in, especially one that has more than one level and is intended to be used by one family
he lives in a big house
Oxford Essential Dictionary
house
noun (plural houses )
1 a building where a person or a family lives:
How many rooms are there in your house?
We're having dinner at Jane's house tonight.
word building
A small house is called a cottage. A house with only one floor is called a bungalow: My grandparents live in a bungalow near the sea. A tall building where lots of people live is called a block of flats or an apartment block: They live on the third floor of an apartment block.
2 a building that has a special use:
an opera house
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
house
II. house1 S1 W1 /haʊs/ BrE AmE noun (plural houses /ˈhaʊzəz, ˈhaʊzɪz/)
[Language: Old English; Origin: hus]
1. WHERE SOMEONE LIVES [countable]
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 British English (=leave your house and go to live in another one)
b) the house all the people who live in a house SYN 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 British English 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 [countable] 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 [countable] 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 [countable]
a) the part of a theatre, cinema etc where people sit OPP 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 SYN audience
full/packed/empty house (=a large or small audience)
The show has been playing to packed houses since it opened.
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 British English 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 [countable] British English 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 [countable] an important family, especially a royal family:
the House of Windsor
16. MUSIC [uncountable] ↑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 somebody out of house and home at ↑eat(10), ⇨ ↑open house, ↑public house, ⇨ (as) safe as houses at ↑safe1(5)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ live in a house They live in a really big house in Hampstead.
▪ buy a house We bought this house when Liam was just a baby.
▪ rent a house While he was working in London, Ken rented a house in Fulham.
▪ sell a house We decided to sell the house and move back to Seattle.
▪ put your house on the market (=make it available for people to buy) They put the house on the market and began looking for an apartment.
▪ move into/out of a house We’re moving into our new house next week.
▪ build a house They’re building a house on land overlooking Galway Bay.
▪ put up a house (=build a house, especially when it seems very quick) I think they’ve ruined the village by putting up these new houses.
▪ renovate a house (=repair a house so that it is in good condition again) He makes money by renovating old houses and selling them on.
▪ decorate a house (=put paint or wallpaper on the inside walls of a house) If we’re going to decorate the house, let’s get professionals in.
▪ do up a house informal (=decorate it) We’ve been doing up the house bit by bit since we first moved in.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + house
▪ a private house (=one owned by someone) It was a residential neighborhood of private houses.
▪ a rented house (=one owned by someone who rents it to people) She shares a rented house with three other students.
▪ a council house British English (=one owned by a local council that people can rent cheaply) The rent rise is a blow to council house tenants.
▪ a Georgian/Victorian/Edwardian etc house (=a house in Britain that was built during the reign of a particular king or queen ) They live in a lovely old Edwardian house with high ceilings.
■ house + NOUN
▪ house prices House prices have tripled over the last ten years.
▪ a house owner All house owners must pay council tax.
▪ a house purchase A solicitor can help you with the legal aspects of a house purchase.
▪ house hunting (=the activity of looking at houses that you might buy) Have you had any success with your house hunting?
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ house a building that someone lives in, especially one that is intended for one family, person, or couple to live in: Annie and Rick have just bought their first house. | The price of houses is going up all the time.
▪ detached house British English a house that is not joined to another house: a detached four-bedroomed house
▪ semi-detached house British English a house that is joined to another house on one side
▪ terraced house British English, row house American English one of a row of houses that are joined together
▪ townhouse one of a row of houses that are joined together. In British English, townhouse is often used about a large and impressive house in a fashionable area of a city: an 18th-century townhouse in Bath
▪ cottage a small house in the country – used especially about houses in the UK: a little cottage in the country | a thatched cottage (=with a roof made of straw)
▪ bungalow a small house that is all on one level: Bungalows are suitable for many elderly people.
▪ country house a large house in the countryside, especially one that is of historical interest: The hotel was originally an Edwardian country house.
▪ mansion a very large house: the family’s Beverly Hills mansion
▪ mobile home (also trailer American English) a type of house that can be pulled by a large vehicle and moved to another place
▪ ranch house American English a long narrow house that is all on one level: a California ranch house
▪ duplex American English a house that is divided into two separate homes
■ an apartment
▪ apartment especially American English, flat British English a set of rooms where someone lives that is part of a house or bigger building. In British English, people usually say flat. Apartment is used about large and expensive flats, or in advertisements: His apartment is on the eighth floor. | In London, I shared a flat with some other students.
▪ condominium (also condo informal) American English one apartment in a building with several apartments, owned by the people who live in them: a 10-unit condominium complex
■ a group of houses
▪ development a group of new houses or other buildings that are all planned and built together on the same piece of land: The site is to be used for a new housing development.
▪ estate British English an area where a large group of houses have all been built together at the same time: She grew up on a council estate in Leeds.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
house
house [house houses housed housing] noun, verb
noun
[haʊs] ; [haʊs] (pl. houses [ˈhaʊzɪz] ; [ˈhaʊzɪz] )
BUILDING
1. countable a building for people to live in, usually for one family
• He went into the house.
• a two-bedroom house
• Let's have the party at my house.
• house prices
• What time do you leave the house in the morning (= to go to work)?
• (BrE) We're moving house (= leaving our house and going to live in a different one).
• We went on a tour of the house and grounds (= for example, at a country house, open to the public).
see also penthouse, safe house, show house
2. singular all the people living in a house
Syn: household
• Be quiet or you'll wake the whole house!
3. 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
see also doghouse, dosshouse, halfway house, hothouse, lighthouse, madhouse, outhouse, storehouse, warehouse
4. House singular (BrE) used in the names of office buildings
• Their offices are on the second floor of Chester House.
COMPANY/INSTITUTION
5. countable (in compounds) a company involved in a particular kind of business; an institution of a particular kind
• a fashion/banking/publishing, etc. house
• a religious house (= a convent or a monastery )
• I work in house (= in the offices of the company that I work for, not at home)
see also clearing house, in-house
RESTAURANT
6. 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)
see also free house, public house, roadhouse, tied house
PARLIAMENT
7. 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.
see also lower house, upper house
8. the House singular the House of Commons or the House of Lords in Britain; the House of Representatives in the US
IN DEBATE
9. the house singular a group of people discussing sth in a formal debate
• I urge the house to vote against the motion.
IN THEATRE
10. 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.
see also front-of-house, full house
IN SCHOOL
11. 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 building
FAMILY
12. countable (usually the House of…) an old and famous family
• the House of Windsor (= the British royal family)
MUSIC
13. uncountable = house music
see also acid house, art-house, open house, powerhouse There are many other compounds ending in house. You will find them at their place in the alphabet.
more at clean house at clean v., not a dry eye in the house at dry n., eat sb out of house and home at eat, people (who live) in glass houses shouldn't throw stones at people n., safe as houses at safe adj.
Word Origin:
Old English hūs (noun), hūsian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch huis, German Haus (nouns), and Dutch huizen, German hausen (verbs).
Thesaurus:
house noun C
• We live in a two-bedroom house.
home • • cottage • |BrE bungalow • • flat • |especially AmE townhouse • • apartment • |AmE ranch house • |informal place • |formal residence • • dwelling •
a detached/semi-detached house/home/cottage/bungalow
a one-/two-bedroom, etc. house/home/cottage/bungalow/flat/townhouse/apartment/ranch house
live in a house/cottage/bungalow/flat/townhouse/apartment/ranch house
stay in a house/cottage/bungalow/flat/apartment
Collocations:
Decorating and home improvement
Houses
refurbish/renovate/ (BrE) do up a building/a house
convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially NAmE) apartments/(BrE) flats
extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
build (BrE) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(NAmE) an addition (on/to sth)/(BrE) a conservatory
knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
Decoration
furnish/paint/ (especially BrE) decorate a home/house/apartment/flat/room
be decorated in bright colours/(especially US) colors/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/(BrE) 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
DIY/home improvement
do (BrE) 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 BrE) the loft
fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially BrE) tap/(NAmE 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
Collocations:
Moving house
Renting
live in a rented/(especially NAmE) rental property
rent/share/move into a furnished house/(BrE) flat/(especially NAmE) apartment
rent a studio/(BrE) a studio flat/(especially NAmE) a studio apartment/(BrE) a bedsit
find/get a housemate/(BrE) a flatmate/(NAmE) a roommate
sign/break the lease/rental agreement/contract
extend/renew/terminate the lease/(BrE) tenancy
afford/pay the rent/the bills/(NAmE) the utilities
(especially BrE) fall behind with/ (especially NAmE) fall behind on the rent
pay/lose/return a damage deposit/(NAmE) security deposit
give/receive a month's/two-weeks' notice to leave/vacate the property
Being a landlord
have a flat/apartment/room (BrE) to let/(especially NAmE) for rent
rent (out)/lease (out)/ (BrE) let (out)/sublet a flat/apartment/house/property
collect/increase/raise the rent
evict the existing tenants
attract/find new/prospective tenants
invest in rental property/(BrE) property to let/(BrE) the buy-to-let market
Buying
buy/acquire/purchase a house/(a) property/(especially NAmE) (a piece of) prime real estate
call/contact/use (BrE) an estate agent/(NAmE) a Realtor™/(NAmE) a real estate agent/broker
make/ (BrE) put in an offer on a house
put down/save for (BrE) a deposit on a house
make/put/save for (especially NAmE) 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/(BrE also) repayments
(BrE) repossess/ (especially NAmE) foreclose on sb's home/house
Selling
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 BrE) deeds of/to the house, land, etc.
Example Bank:
• I finally tracked him down at his house in Denver.
• I live in a group/shared house.
• I work front of house.
• In the morning, the doctor makes house calls.
• It was easy to get lost in the rambling house.
• It was so hot outside we stayed in the house.
• It's stressful moving house.
• Our challenge was to add onto the house in a respectful way.
• Police are making house-to-house enquiries following the discovery of the body.
• Police officers have been searching the house for clues.
• She kept house for her elderly parents.
• She kept house= cooked, cleaned, etc. for her elderly parents.
• She shares a house with three other nurses.
• She was a house model for Gucci.
• She went from house to house collecting signatures for her campaign.
• The bank offers attractive rates to first-time house buyers.
• The children were playing house, giving dinner to their dolls.
• The former dictator is under house arrest in his country mansion.
• 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.
• The palace is a treasure house of fine antiques.
• The police provided a safe house for the informer.
• Their house was repossessed when they couldn't keep up their mortgage payments.
• They bought a dilapidated house when they got married, and are gradually doing it up.
• 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 played to a packed house.
• They want to set up house together.
• They've moved house and have invited us to their house-warming on Saturday.
• We had to move out of our house.
• 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.
• You'll wake up the whole house with that noise.
• a debate in the House of Commons
• a halfway house for prisoners returning to society
• a house occupied by students
• houses overlooking the park
• the front-of-house staff
• Be quiet or you'll wake the whole house!
• Elections to the lower house of parliament are by proportional representation.
• House prices in London are still falling.
• Let's have the party at my house.
• The ‘Bundersrat’ is the upper house of the German parliament.
• The publishing house made its name by encouraging first-time writers.
• We live in a two-bedroom house.
• We went on a tour of the house and grounds.
• What time do you leave the house in the morning?
Idioms: bring the house down ▪ get on like a house on fire ▪ go all round the houses ▪ keep house ▪ on the house ▪ put your house in order ▪ set up house
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
house / haʊs / noun ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) (HOME)
A1 [ C ] a building that people, usually one family, live in:
a detached/semi-detached house
to buy/rent a house
house prices
She lives in a little house in ( US on ) Cross Street.
→ See also farmhouse noun , roadhouse
[ C usually singular ] all the people living in a house:
Try not to wake the whole house when you come in!
[ C ] a building where animals are kept:
the monkey/lion house at the zoo
a hen house
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
house / haʊs / noun ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) (PUBLIC BUILDING)
[ C ] a building or part of a building that is used for a special purpose:
the Sydney Opera House
Broadcasting House
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
house / haʊs / noun ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) (BUSINESS)
a company that is involved in a particular area of business:
a publishing house
a fashion house
UK a curry house (= a South Asian restaurant)
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
house / haʊs / noun [ U ] ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) ( also ˈ house ˌ music ) (MUSIC)
popular dance music with a fast regular beat, usually produced on electronic equipment:
House music first appeared in the late 1980s.
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
house / haʊs / noun [ C ] ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) UK (SCHOOL GROUP)
any of a small number of groups that the children in a school are put in for sports and other competitions:
an inter-house football match
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
house / haʊs / noun [ C ] ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) (FAMILY)
an important family, especially a royal one:
The British Royal Family belong to the House of Windsor.
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
house / haʊs / noun ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) (POLITICS)
[ C ] an organization that makes laws, or its meeting place the House the members of the organization that makes laws:
The House began sitting at 3 p.m./rose at 2 a.m.
[ S ] the group of people who suggest a subject for a debate:
The motion for tonight's debate is, "This house believes that capital punishment should be abolished."
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
house / haʊs / noun [ C ] ( plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz / ) (PEOPLE AT THEATRE)
C2 the people watching a performance, especially in a theatre:
The opera played to a full/packed house.
Word partners for house
build / buy / rent / sell a house • a beautiful / fine / derelict / rambling house • a terraced / semi-detached / detached house
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
house
Pronounced /haʊs/ for the noun and adjective, and /haʊz/ for the verb. The form 'houses' is pronounced /haʊzɪz/.
(housing, housed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
A house is a building in which people live, usually the people belonging to one family.
She has moved to a smaller house.
...her parents’ house in Warwickshire.
N-COUNT
2.
You can refer to all the people who live together in a house as the house.
If he set his alarm clock for midnight, it would wake the whole house...
= household
N-SING: usu the N
3.
House is used in the names of types of places where people go to eat and drink.
...a steak house.
...an old Salzburg coffee house.
N-COUNT: n N
4.
House is used in the names of types of companies, especially ones which publish books, lend money, or design clothes.
Many of the clothes come from the world’s top fashion houses...
Eventually she was fired from her job at a publishing house.
N-COUNT: n N
5.
House is sometimes used in the names of office buildings and large private homes or expensive houses. (mainly BRIT)
I was to go to the very top floor of Bush House in Aldwych.
...Harewood House near Leeds.
N-IN-NAMES: n N
6.
You can refer to the two main bodies of Britain’s parliament and the United States of America’s legislature as the House or a House.
Some members of the House and Senate worked all day yesterday...
N-COUNT
7.
A house is a family which has been or will be important for many generations, especially the family of a king or queen.
...the House of Windsor.
N-COUNT: with supp
8.
The house is the part of a theatre, cinema, or other place of entertainment where the audience sits. You can also refer to the audience at a particular performance as the house.
They played in front of a packed house.
N-COUNT
9.
A restaurant’s house wine is the cheapest wine it sells, which is not listed by name on the wine list.
Tweed ordered a carafe of the house wine.
ADJ: ADJ n
10.
To house someone means to provide a house or flat for them to live in.
Part III of the Housing Act 1985 imposes duties on local authorities to house homeless people...
Regrettably we have to house families in these inadequate flats.
VERB: V n, V n adv/prep
11.
A building or container that houses something is the place where it is located or from where it operates.
The château itself is open to the public and houses a museum of motorcycles and cars...
VERB: no cont, V n
12.
If you say that a building houses a number of people, you mean that is the place where they live or where they are staying.
The building will house twelve boys and eight girls...
= accommodate
VERB: no cont, V n
13.
see also boarding house, chapter house, clearing house, council house, doll’s house, full house, open house, opera house, public house, Wendy house, White House
14.
If a person or their performance or speech brings the house down, the audience claps, laughs, or shouts loudly because the performance or speech is very impressive or amusing. (INFORMAL)
It’s really an amazing dance. It just always brings the house down.
PHRASE: V inflects
15.
If two people get on like a house on fire, they quickly become close friends, for example because they have many interests in common. (INFORMAL)
PHRASE: V inflects
16.
If you are given something in a restaurant or bar on the house, you do not have to pay for it.
The owner knew about the engagement and brought them glasses of champagne on the house.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v
17.
If someone gets their house in order, puts their house in order, or sets their house in order, they arrange their affairs and solve their problems.
Some think Stempel’s departure will help the company get its financial house in order...
PHRASE: V inflects
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1house /ˈhaʊs/ noun, pl hous·es /ˈhaʊzəz/
1 a [count] : a building in which a family lives
• Would you like to come to my house for dinner?
• a two-family house
• I spent the weekend just puttering around the house.
- often used before another noun
• 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.
2 [count]
a : a structure or shelter in which animals are kept - see also birdhouse, doghouse, henhouse
b : a building in which something is stored
• a carriage house
- see also boathouse, warehouse
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
• They hope to win enough seats in the election to regain control of the House.
- see also house of commons, house of lords
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
• 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 place where an illegal activity occurs
• a gambling house
• a house of prostitution
- see also opera house
c : a particular kind of restaurant
• 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.
- see also coffeehouse, steak house
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.
- see also house-to-house
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
• 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.
- see also housekeeper, housekeeping
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 : without charge : free
• The drinks are on the house.
people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
- see 1glass
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.
- house·ful /ˈhaʊsˌfʊl/ noun, pl -fuls [count]
• a houseful of guests
