house n
1. a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families; "he has a house on Cape Cod"; "she felt she had to get out of the house"
2. an official assembly having legislative powers; "the legislature has two houses"
3. a building in which something is sheltered or located; "they had a large carriage house"
4. a social unit living together; "he moved his family to Virginia"; "It was a good Christian household"; "I waited until the whole house was asleep"; "the teacher asked how many people made up his home" [syn: family, household, home, menage]
5. a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented; "the house was full" [syn: theater, theatre]
6. members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a brokerage house" [syn: firm, business firm]
7. aristocratic family line; "the House of York"
8. the members of a religious community living together
9. the audience gathered together in a theatre or cinema; "the house applauded"; "he counted the house"
10. play in which children take the roles of father or mother or children and pretend to interact like adults; "the children were playing house" 1
11. (astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided [syn: sign of the zodiac, star sign, sign, mansion, planetary house] 1
12. the management of a gambling house or casino; "the house gets a percentage of every bet" v
13. contain or cover; "This box houses the gears"
14. provide housing for; "The immigrants were housed in a new development outside the town" [syn: put up, domiciliate]

House \House\, n.; pl. Houses. [OE. hous, hus, AS. h?s; akin to OS. & OFries. h?s, D. huis, OHG. h?s, G. haus, Icel. h?s, Sw. hus, Dan. huus, Goth. gudh?s, house of God, temple; and prob. to E. hide to conceal. See Hide, and cf. Hoard, Husband, Hussy, Husting.]

A house is a building that is made for people to live in. It is a "permanent" building that is meant to stay standing. It is not a place to live that can be easily packed up and carried away like a tent, or moved like a caravan. If people live in the same house for more than a short stay, then they call it their "home".

Houses come in many different shapes and sizes. They may be as small as just one room, or they may have hundreds of rooms. They also come in many different shapes, and may have just one level or several different levels. A house is sometimes joined to other houses at the sides to make "row houses", but it is not part of a big building with lots of levels. That type of home is called an "apartment" or a "flat" or a "unit". One of the differences between a house and an apartment is that a house has a front door to the outside world, whereas the main door of an apartment usually opens onto a passage or landing that can be used by other people in the building.

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  NEW YORK -- Whither Dr. Gregory House? Would the cantankerous hero of the Fox medical drama mend his ways or self-destruct for all time? That was the mystery as "House" barreled to its conclusion Monday night. In a recent interview, series star ... Read more on this news related to 'House'
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  The White House said it would not immediately lift sanctions on Iran as a result of progress in talks to allow an investigation into Tehran’s nuclear program. The U.N. nuclear watchdog director said Tuesday that he expects to sign a deal with ... Read more on this news related to 'House'