16 PHRASE 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.
17 PHRASE 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. □ He decided to get his financial house in order. SYNONYMS house NOUN 1
home: …his home in Hampstead.
residence: …hotels and private residences.
dwelling: Some 3,500 new dwellings are planned for the area.
abode: I went round the streets and found his new abode. USAGE house or home?
You don't usually say ‘
hou se ar|re st N‑UNCOUNT [usu under N ] If someone is under house arrest , they are officially ordered not to leave their home, because they are suspected of being involved in an illegal activity.
house|boat /haʊ sboʊt/ (houseboats ) N‑COUNT A houseboat is a small boat on a river or canal which people live in.
house|bound /haʊ sbaʊnd/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is housebound is unable to go out of their house, usually because they are ill or cannot walk far. □ If you are housebound, you can arrange for a home visit from a specialist adviser.
house|boy /haʊ sbɔ I / (houseboys ) N‑COUNT A houseboy is a man or boy who cleans and does other jobs in someone else's house. [OLD-FASHIONED ]
house|break|er /haʊ sbre I kə r / (housebreakers ) N‑COUNT A housebreaker is someone who enters another person's house by force, for example by breaking the locks or windows, in order to steal their possessions.
house|break|ing /haʊ sbre I k I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Housebreaking is the crime of entering another person's house by force, for example by breaking the locks or windows, in order to steal their possessions.
house|coat /haʊ skoʊt/ (housecoats ) N‑COUNT A housecoat is a long loose piece of clothing that some women wear over their underwear or nightclothes when they are at home during the day.
hou se guest (house guests ) N‑COUNT A house guest is a person who is staying at someone's house for a period of time.
house|hold ◆◇◇ /haʊ shoʊld/ (households )
1 N‑COUNT A household is all the people in a family or group who live together in a house. □ …growing up in a male-only household.
2 N‑SING [oft N n] The household is your home and everything that is connected with looking after it. □ …household chores.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Someone or something that is a household name or word is very well known. □ Today, fashion designers are household names.
house|holder /haʊ shoʊldə r / (householders ) N‑COUNT The householder is the person who owns or rents a particular house. □ Millions of householders are eligible to claim the new council tax benefit.
house|husband /haʊ shʌzbənd/ (househusbands ) also house husband N‑COUNT A househusband is a married man who does not have a paid job, but instead looks after his home and children.
house|keeper /haʊ skiːpə r / (housekeepers ) N‑COUNT A housekeeper is a person whose job is to cook, clean, and look after a house for its owner.
house|keeping /haʊ skiːp I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Housekeeping is the work and organization involved in running a home, including the shopping and cleaning. □ I thought that cooking and housekeeping were unimportant, easy tasks.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Housekeeping is the money that you use to buy food, cleaning materials, and other things that you need in your home. [BRIT ] □ His father often gambled away his family's housekeeping money.
hou se lights N‑PLURAL In a theatre or cinema, when the house lights dim or go down, the lights where the audience sits are switched off. When the house lights come up, the lights are switched on.
house|maid /haʊ sme I d/ (housemaids ) N‑COUNT A housemaid is a female servant who does cleaning and other work in someone's house.
house|man /haʊ smən/ (housemen )
1 N‑COUNT A houseman is a doctor who has a junior post in a hospital and usually sleeps there. [BRIT ] in AM, use intern 2 N‑COUNT A houseman is a man who is a servant in a house. [AM ] in BRIT, use manservant
house|master /haʊ smɑːstə r , -mæs-/ (housemasters ) N‑COUNT A housemaster is a male teacher who is in charge of one of the houses in a school. [mainly BRIT ]
house|mate /haʊ sme I t/ (housemates ) N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Your housemate is someone who shares a house with you. You do not use 'housemate' to refer to members of your family or your boyfriend or girlfriend.
Hou se of Co m|mons N‑PROPER The House of Commons is the part of parliament in Britain or Canada whose members are elected. The building where they meet is also called the House of Commons . □ The House of Commons has overwhelmingly rejected demands to bring back the death penalty for murder.
hou se of Go d (houses of God ) N‑COUNT A Christian church is sometimes referred to as a house of God .
Hou se of Lo rds N‑PROPER The House of Lords is the part of the parliament in Britain whose members have not been elected. The building where they meet is also called the House of Lords . □ The legislation has twice been rejected by the House of Lords.