longhouse

noun

long·​house ˈlȯŋ-ˌhau̇s How to pronounce longhouse (audio)
-ˈhau̇s
plural longhouses
: a long communal dwelling of some North American Indigenous communities (such as the Iroquois)

Examples of longhouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Think of indigenous longhouses or cedar plank homes, both built primarily from wood. — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 10 Mar. 2026 In one of the longhouses, called a nangamanka, Chief Dom explains how his people lived traditionally. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025 The Oasis Pool, which lies close to the Hawaii, Niue, and Tokelau longhouses has a more relaxed, waterslide-free vibe. — Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2025 The most famous outlining of the longhouse thesis came from a writer calling himself L0m3z in the religious magazine First Things. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for longhouse

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of longhouse was in 1643

Rhymes for longhouse

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Browse Nearby Words

long hours
longhouse
long hundred
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Cite this Entry

“Longhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/longhouse. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

longhouse

noun
long·​house -ˌhau̇s How to pronounce longhouse (audio)
: a long dwelling especially of the Iroquois for several families

More from Merriam-Webster on longhouse

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about longhouse

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