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a building in which people live; residence for human beings.
a household.
(often initial capital letter) a family, including ancestors and descendants:
the great houses of France; the House of Hapsburg.
a building for any purpose:
a house of worship.
a theater, concert hall, or auditorium:
a vaudeville house.
the audience of a theater or the like.
a place of shelter for an animal, bird, etc.
the building in which a legislative or official deliberative body meets.
(initial capital letter) the body itself, especially of a bicameral legislature:
the House of Representatives.
a quorum of such a body.
(often initial capital letter) a commercial establishment; business firm:
the House of Rothschild; a publishing house.
a gambling casino.
the management of a commercial establishment or of a gambling casino:
rules of the house.
an advisory or deliberative group, especially in church or college affairs.
a college in an English-type university.
a residential hall in a college or school; dormitory.
the members or residents of any such residential hall.
Informal. a brothel; whorehouse.
British. a variety of lotto or bingo played with paper and pencil, especially by soldiers as a gambling game.
Also called parish. Curling. the area enclosed by a circle 12 or 14 feet (3.7 or 4.2 meters) in diameter at each end of the rink, having the tee in the center.
Nautical. any enclosed shelter above the weather deck of a vessel:
bridge house; deck house.
Astrology. one of the 12 divisions of the celestial sphere, numbered counterclockwise from the point of the eastern horizon.
to put or receive into a house, dwelling, or living quarters:
More than 200 students were housed in the dormitory.
to give shelter to; harbor; lodge:
to house flood victims in schools.
to provide with a place to work, study, or the like:
This building houses our executive staff.
to provide storage space for; be a receptacle for or repository of:
The library houses 600,000 books.
to remove from exposure; put in a safe place.
Nautical.

to stow securely.
to lower (an upper mast) and make secure, as alongside the lower mast.
to heave (an anchor) home.

Carpentry.

to fit the end or edge of (a board or the like) into a notch, hole, or groove.
to form (a joint) between two pieces of wood by fitting the end or edge of one into a dado of the other.

to take shelter; dwell.
of, relating to, or noting a house.
for or suitable for a house:
house paint.
of or being a product made by or for a specific retailer and often sold under the store’s own label:
You’ll save money on the radio if you buy the house brand.
served by a restaurant as its customary brand:
the house wine.
bring down the house, to call forth vigorous applause from an audience; be highly successful:
The children’s performances brought down the house.
clean house. clean (def 48).
dress the house, Theater.

to fill a theater with many people admitted on free passes; paper the house.
to arrange or space the seating of patrons in such a way as to make an audience appear larger or a theater or nightclub more crowded than it actually is.

keep house, to maintain a home; manage a household.
like a house on fire / afire, very quickly; with energy or enthusiasm:
The new product took off like a house on fire.
on the house, as a gift from the management; free:
Tonight the drinks are on the house.
put / set one’s house in order,

to settle one’s affairs.
to improve one’s behavior or correct one’s faults:
It is easy to criticize others, but it would be better to put one’s own house in order first.

Edward Mandell
[man-dl] /ˈmæn dl/ (Show IPA), (“Colonel House”) 1858–1938, U.S. diplomat.
Son [suhn] /sʌn/ (Show IPA), (Eddie James House, Jr) 1902–88, U.S. blues singer and guitarist.
Contemporary Examples

Buck Up, Democrats Benjamin Sarlin January 26, 2010
Valar Morghulis: Game of Thrones’ Women Are Going to Rule the World Scott Bixby June 16, 2014
Syria’s River of Death Ole Solvang April 29, 2013
What’s Behind Nancy Pelosi’s Big Post-Election Announcement Eleanor Clift November 13, 2012
Immigration Reform Passes the Senate Judiciary Committee Justin Green May 21, 2013

Historical Examples

The Cat of Bubastes G. A. Henty
Philothea Lydia Maria Child
The Duke Of Chimney Butte G. W. Ogden
The Spenders Harry Leon Wilson
The Vagrant Duke George Gibbs

noun (haʊs) (pl) houses (ˈhaʊzɪz)

a building used as a home; dwelling
(as modifier): house dog

the people present in a house, esp its usual occupants

a building used for some specific purpose
(in combination): a schoolhouse

(often capital) a family line including ancestors and relatives, esp a noble one: the House of York

a commercial company; firm: a publishing house
(as modifier): house style, a house journal

an official deliberative or legislative body, such as one chamber of a bicameral legislature
a quorum in such a body (esp in the phrase make a house)
a dwelling for a religious community
(astrology) any of the 12 divisions of the zodiac See also planet (sense 3)

any of several divisions, esp residential, of a large school
(as modifier): house spirit

a hotel, restaurant, bar, inn, club, etc, or the management of such an establishment
(as modifier): house rules
(in combination): steakhouse

(modifier) (of wine) sold unnamed by a restaurant, at a lower price than wines specified on the wine list: the house red
the audience in a theatre or cinema
an informal word for brothel
a hall in which an official deliberative or legislative body meets
See full house
(curling) the 12-foot target circle around the tee
(nautical) any structure or shelter on the weather deck of a vessel
(theatre) bring the house down, to win great applause
house and home, an emphatic form of home
keep open house, to be always ready to provide hospitality
(informal) like a house on fire, very well, quickly, or intensely
on the house, (usually of drinks) paid for by the management of the hotel, bar, etc
put one’s house in order, to settle or organize one’s affairs
(Brit) safe as houses, very secure
verb (haʊz)
(transitive) to provide with or serve as accommodation
to give or receive shelter or lodging
(transitive) to contain or cover, esp in order to protect
(transitive) to fit (a piece of wood) into a mortise, joint, etc
(transitive) (nautical)

to secure or stow
to secure (a topmast)
to secure and stow (an anchor)

noun the House
See House of Commons
(Brit, informal) the Stock Exchange
n.

And the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amos came to him, and saide vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not liue. [2 Kings xx:1, version of 1611]

v.

A brothel; cathouse, whorehouse •Earlier occurrences, from 1726 on, have modifiers: of ill repute, of ill fame, of assignation, of accommodation, etc: A House is not a Home (1865+)
The audience at a theater (1921+)
A kind of dance music derived from soul, rock, and jazz, with a strong percussive beat, originally a black Chicago style •Comes in many varieties: deep house, garage, tribal, progressive, etc: to introduce Southern California to ”house,” the technologically sophisticated dance music that has taken the country by storm/ For years, dance-club regulars have been expecting the boom-chucka-boom beat of house music to conquer pop (mid-1980s+)

In addition to the idiom beginning with
house