doss-house

noun

A place where homeless people can sleep for the night.

“W. Besant They [street Arabs] consort together and sleep in low doss houses where they meet with all kinds of villainy.”

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Meanings

noundoss-house (plural doss-houses)

plural doss-houses · alternative dosshouse · alternative doss house

  1. A place where homeless people can sleep for the night.

    W. Besant They [street Arabs] consort together and sleep in low doss houses where they meet with all kinds of villainy.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
flophouse

Origin

From doss + house.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian нощен приют, прию́т
  • нощен приют (nošten prijut)sleeping-place for the homeless
  • прию́т (prijút)sleeping-place for the homeless
Chinese Mandarin 廉價旅館 /廉价旅馆
  • 廉價旅館 /廉价旅馆 (liánjià lǚguǎn)sleeping-place for the homeless
Dutch nachtopvang
  • nachtopvangsleeping-place for the homeless
Finnish yömaja
  • yömajasleeping-place for the homeless
French asile de nuit, asile
  • asile de nuitsleeping-place for the homeless
  • asilesleeping-place for the homeless
German Absteige, Penne
  • Absteigesleeping-place for the homeless
  • Pennesleeping-place for the homeless
Japanese どや, 安宿
  • どや (doya)sleeping-place for the homeless
  • 安宿 (yasuyado)sleeping-place for the homeless
Persian شبخانه
  • شبخانه (šab-xâne)sleeping-place for the homeless
Polish noclegownia
  • noclegowniasleeping-place for the homeless
Russian ночле́жка, ночле́жный дом
  • ночле́жка (nočléžka)sleeping-place for the homeless
  • ночле́жный дом (nočléžnyj dom)sleeping-place for the homeless
  • прию́т (prijút)sleeping-place for the homeless
  • ночно́й прию́т (nočnój prijút)sleeping-place for the homeless
Spanish albergue
  • alberguesleeping-place for the homeless
Ukrainian приту́лок, нічлі́жка
  • приту́лок (prytúlok)sleeping-place for the homeless
  • нічлі́жка (ničlížka)sleeping-place for the homeless
  • прию́т (pryjút)sleeping-place for the homeless
Cite this entry
APA

doss-house. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doss-house

MLA

“doss-house.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doss-house. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “doss-house,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/doss-house.

Source: doss-house on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.