open house

noun

1
: ready and usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers
2
: a house or apartment open for inspection especially by prospective buyers or tenants

Examples of open house in a Sentence

Westside High School will host an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. today, and all parents are invited to attend. colleges holding open houses for prospective students We held an open house last week in the hopes that someone would offer to buy our house. They kept open house, and in the evenings neighbors would stop by to talk or play music. They always kept an open house for visitors.
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.
People who cannot make it to the open house may also fill out an online survey to share their thoughts and feedback on the growth proposal. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2026 Safa Muhammad lives in the townhomes adjoining the lot, and attended the open house with some neighbors. — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 Check the schedule on the website for presentations by guest speakers and open house events for an up-close look at some of the larger historic telescopes. — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 18 June 2026 Johnson County will host one more open house to talk about the 2027 county budget in August. — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for open house

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of open house was in the 15th century

Rhymes for open house

See All Rhymes for open house

Browse Nearby Words

open hole
open house
open ice
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Open house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20house. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

open house

noun
: usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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