Hou se of Rep|re|se nta|tives N‑PROPER The House of Representatives is the less powerful of the two parts of Congress in the United States, or the equivalent part of the system of government in some other countries. □ The House of Representatives approved a new budget plan.
hou se own|er (house owners ) also house-owner N‑COUNT A house owner is a person who owns a house.
hou se par|ty (house parties ) N‑COUNT A house party is a party held at a big house in the country, usually at a weekend, where the guests stay for a few days.
hou se plant (house plants ) also houseplant N‑COUNT A house plant is a plant which is grown in a pot indoors.
house|proud /haʊ spraʊd/ also house-proud ADJ Someone who is houseproud spends a lot of time cleaning and decorating their house, because they want other people to admire it. [mainly BRIT ]
house|room /haʊ sruːm/ also house room PHRASE If you say that you wouldn't give something houseroom , you are emphasizing that you do not want it or do not like it at all. [mainly BRIT , EMPHASIS ]
Hou ses of Pa r|lia|ment N‑PROPER [with sing or pl verb] In Britain, the Houses of Parliament are the British parliament, which consists of two parts, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The buildings where the British parliament does its work are also called the Houses of Parliament . □ …issues aired in the Houses of Parliament.
hou se-to-hou se also house to house ADJ [ADJ n] A house-to-house activity involves going to all the houses in an area one after another. □ Security officers have carried out a number of house-to-house searches. ● ADV [ADV after v] House-to-house is also an adverb. □ They're going house to house, rounding up the residents.
house|wares /haʊ sweə r z/ N‑PLURAL Some shops and manufacturers refer to objects on sale for use in your house as housewares , especially objects related to cooking and cleaning.
house|warm|ing /haʊ swɔː r m I ŋ/ (housewarmings ) also house-warming N‑COUNT [oft N n] A housewarming is a party that you give for friends when you have just moved to a new house. □ I'm so sorry I missed the housewarming. □ …a housewarming party.
house|wife /haʊ swa I f/ (housewives ) N‑COUNT A housewife is a married woman who does not have a paid job, but instead looks after her home and children.
house|work /haʊ swɜː r k/ N‑UNCOUNT Housework is the work such as cleaning, washing, and ironing that you do in your home.
hous|ing ◆◆◇ /haʊ z I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT You refer to the buildings in which people live as housing when you are talking about their standard, price, or availability. □ …a shortage of affordable housing. SYNONYMS housing NOUN
accommodation: The government will provide temporary accommodation for up to three thousand people.
homes: …the allocation of land for new homes.
dwellings: Some 3,500 new dwellings are planned for the area.
hou s|ing as|so|cia|tion (housing associations ) N‑COUNT A housing association is an organization which owns houses and helps its members to rent or buy them more cheaply than on the open market. [BRIT ]
hou s|ing ben|efit (housing benefits ) N‑UNCOUNT In Britain, housing benefit is money that the government gives to people with no income or very low incomes to pay for part or all of their rent.
hou s|ing de|vel|op|ment (housing developments ) N‑COUNT A housing development is the same as a housing estate .
hou s|ing es|tate (housing estates ) N‑COUNT A housing estate is a large number of houses or flats built close together at the same time. [BRIT ]
hou s|ing proj|ect (housing projects ) N‑COUNT A housing project is a group of homes for poorer families which is funded and controlled by the local government. [AM ]
hove /hoʊ v/ Hove is the past tense and past participle of heave in one of its meanings.
hov|el /hɒ v ə l, [AM ] hʌ v-/ (hovels )
1 N‑COUNT A hovel is a small hut, especially one which is dirty or needs a lot of repair. □ They lived in a squalid hovel for the next five years.
2 N‑COUNT You describe a house, room, or flat as a hovel to express your disapproval or dislike of it because it is dirty, untidy, and in poor condition. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I went for a living-in job, but the room I was given was a hovel.
hov|er /hɒ və r , [AM ] hʌ v-/ (hovers , hovering , hovered )
1 VERB To hover means to stay in the same position in the air without moving forwards or backwards. Many birds and insects can hover by moving their wings very quickly. □ [V ] Beautiful butterflies hovered above the wild flowers.
2 VERB If you hover , you stay in one place and move slightly in a nervous way, for example because you cannot decide what to do. □ [V ] Judith was hovering in the doorway. □ [V prep/adv] With no idea of what to do for my next move, my hand hovered over the board.
3 VERB If you hover , you are in an uncertain situation or state of mind. □ [V prep/adv] She hovered on the brink of death for three months as doctors battled to save her. [Also V ]
4 VERB If a something such as a price, value, or score hovers around a particular level, it stays at more or less that level and does not change much. □ [V prep/adv] Temperatures hovered around freezing.
hover|craft /hɒ və r krɑːft, [AM ] hʌ və r kræft/ (hovercraft ) N‑COUNT [oft by N ] A hovercraft is a vehicle that can travel across land and water. It floats above the land or water on a cushion of air.
how ◆◆◆ /haʊ / The conjunction is pronounced /haʊ/. 1 ADV You use how to ask about the way in which something happens or is done. □ How do I make payments into my account? □ How do you manage to keep the place so tidy? □ How are you going to plan for the future? ● CONJ How is also a conjunction. □ I don't want to know how he died. □ I didn't know how to tell you.