housemate

H4O1U1S1E1M3A1T1E1
US/ˈhaʊsˌmeɪt/

noun

Someone living in the same house.

Similar
flatmateroommate
OriginEnglish mate ← Middle English mate ← Middle Low German mate →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounhousemate (plural housemates)

plural housemates

  1. Someone living in the same house.

    ‘“Housemate”,’ he repeated, disdainfully. ‘What does this word imply?’ ‘That we are two unpartnered people, sharing the cost of the rent on a house, and are not romantically involved.’

    2024, Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time, Sceptre, page 12

    Synonyms: flatmate, roommate

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSomeone living in the same house.

Similar
flatmateroommate

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kewH-der.?
  2. Proto-Germanic*hūsą
  3. Proto-West Germanic*hūs
  4. Old Englishhūs
  5. Middle Englishhous
  6. Englishhouse
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  9. Proto-Germanic*ga-
  10. Proto-Germanic*matiz
  11. Proto-Germanic*matjô
  12. Proto-West Germanic*gamatjô
  13. Old Saxongimato
  14. Middle Low Germanmate
  15. Middle Englishmate
  16. Englishmate
  17. Englishhousemate

From house + -mate.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian съквартирант
  • съквартирант (săkvartirant)someone living in the same house
Chinese Mandarin 室友, 同屋
  • 室友 (shìyǒu)someone living in the same house
  • 同屋 (tóngwū)someone living in the same house
Dutch huisgenoot
  • huisgenootsomeone living in the same house
Finnish asuintoveri, kämppäkaveri
  • asuintoverisomeone living in the same house
  • kämppäkaverisomeone living in the same house
German Mitbewohner, Mitbewohnerin
  • Mitbewohnersomeone living in the same house
  • Mitbewohnerinsomeone living in the same house
Hindi सहवासी
  • सहवासी (sahvāsī)someone living in the same house
Irish páirtí tí, comrádaí tí
  • páirtí tísomeone living in the same house
  • comrádaí tísomeone living in the same house
Italian coinquilino, coinquilina
  • coinquilinosomeone living in the same house
  • coinquilinasomeone living in the same house
Japanese 同居人, ルームメイト
  • 同居人 (dōkyo-nin)someone living in the same house
  • ルームメイト (rūmumēto)someone living in the same house
  • 部屋っ子 (heyakko)someone living in the same house
  • ハウスメイト (hausumēto)someone living in the same house
Polish współlokator, współlokatorka
  • współlokatorsomeone living in the same house
  • współlokatorkasomeone living in the same house
Russian сосе́д по до́му, сосе́дка по до́му
  • сосе́д по до́му (soséd po dómu)someone living in the same house
  • сосе́дка по до́му (sosédka po dómu)someone living in the same house
Cite this entry
APA

housemate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/housemate

MLA

“housemate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/housemate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “housemate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/housemate.

Source: housemate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.