household

1 of 2

noun

house·​hold ˈhau̇s-ˌhōld How to pronounce household (audio)
ˈhau̇-ˌsōld
: those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family
also : a social unit composed of those living together in the same dwelling

household

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of or relating to a household : domestic
cooking and other household arts
2
: familiar, common
a household name

Examples of household in a Sentence

Noun At that time, not many households had telephones. the dish became a household word because of the sudden popularity of the cuisine Adjective they spent the weekend at home, attending to household chores “ozone” is now a household word, thanks to global warming
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Total household debt reached a record $17.5 trillion at the end of 2023, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Low-income households especially are in danger of losing home equity, potentially leading to wider wealth gaps. Amy Green, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2024 The event features Sam Buchenau as guest speaker and a presentation of 12 cash awards to Live Your Dream winners, single head of household women who are continuing their education. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 However, the simple and small design is ideal for normal household use. Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2024 However, the recovery is likely to be modest as past interest-rate increases continue to feed through to households and companies. Andrew Atkinson, Fortune Europe, 13 Mar. 2024 Home ownership is a major financial asset to many households and knowing the worth of a home can help families decide to buy or sell. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 One tree or shrub per household is allowed, the release states. Alyssa Wilmoth, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2024 The Direct File website, the Biden administration’s attempt to test a free competitor to commercial software like Intuit’s TurboTax, is debuting midway through tax season, at a time when more than two-thirds of all households have yet to file their returns. Julie Zauzmer Weil, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Sources of 2023 household debt in the US include: Credit Cards: $1.13 trillion Mortgage: $12.25 trillion Auto Loans: 1.61 trillion Student Loans: $1.6 trillion Outstanding balances also include debt from retail credit cards, consumer loans and other non-household expenses. Kara Nelson, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Hancock said in the statement that his family canceled their traditional multi-household Thanksgiving celebration. NBC News, 25 Nov. 2020 Stress, overexertion and seasonal factors are some of the most common non-household triggers. Talis Shelbourne, jsonline.com, 26 Aug. 2022 In 2022, Netflix limited password-sharing in Latin America, asking members to pay an additional fee to share their accounts with non-household members. Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2023 To address this, Netflix is testing ways for subscribers in certain countries such as Peru and Chile to pay $2 to $3 more to add non-household members to their plans. Wendy Leestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022 The toughest restrictions since the pandemic began are to go into effect today, including an unprecedented move to limit multi-household gatherings on private premises to two families. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2022 The toughest restrictions since the pandemic began are set to come into effect on Thursday, including an unprecedented move to limit multi-household gatherings on private premises to two families. Shirley Zhao, Bloomberg.com, 9 Feb. 2022 Non-household members visited us outside in the backyard. Rob Relyea, CNN, 13 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'household.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of household was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near household

Cite this Entry

“Household.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/household. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

household

1 of 2 noun
house·​hold ˈhau̇s-ˌhōld How to pronounce household (audio)
ˈhau̇-ˌsōld
: those who live as a family in one house
also : a social unit made up of those living together in the same house

household

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of or relating to a household : domestic
2
: familiar entry 2 sense 3a, common
a household word

More from Merriam-Webster on household

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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