house

/haʊs/
noun★Beginner— a building for living in
◆ What It Really Means
a situation that is unstable and likely to fail
Literal Meaning
a structure made of cards
Literal Breakdown
housea building+ofbelonging to+cardsplaying cards
◇ Mental Image
A fragile structure made of playing cards that can easily fall over.
◈ When to Use
A business plan that is poorly designed and likely to fail is described as a 'house of cards'.
◉ Cultural Note
The phrase originates from the idea that a house built of cards is inherently unstable and can collapse at any moment.
general

a building designed for people to live in

They moved into a new house last month.

They relocated to a new residential building.

💡

Can refer to a single-family dwelling or a multi-unit building.

⚖️Law
formal

a legislative body or assembly

The House of Representatives voted on the bill.

The legislative body approved the proposed law.

💡

Used in contexts like 'House of Commons' or 'House of Representatives'.

informal

a family or household

The whole house is going on vacation.

The entire family is traveling together.

💡

Often used to refer to the people living in a home.

Collocations

house keyskeys to a homehouse rulesrules set by the owner of a homehouse planta plant kept indoors

Related Phrases

house arrestphrase
restriction to a home as a punishment
housewarmingphrase
a party to celebrate moving into a new home
house of cardsidiom
a situation that is likely to collapse easily

💡Pro Tip

House vs. Home

'House' refers to the physical structure, while 'home' refers to the emotional connection to a place.

⚡Gold Rule

Capitalization

Capitalize 'House' when referring to a legislative body (e.g., 'House of Representatives').

📖Word Origin

Old English 'hūs', from Proto-Germanic 'hūsą', meaning 'dwelling, shelter'. Related to Old Norse 'hús' and Dutch 'huis'.

📝Usage Notes

In British English, 'house' can refer to a single-family dwelling or a multi-unit building. In American English, it typically refers to a single-family home.

Word Breakdown

house
a building for living
root
English Dictionary