housing

H4O1U1S1I1N1G2
/ˈhaʊzɪŋ//ˈhaʊsɪŋ/

noun

The activity of enclosing something or providing a residence for someone.

“She lives in low-income housing.”

Similar
accommodationlodgingcasecasingcovercoveringlidliving accommodations
Opposite
nonhousing
OriginMiddle English housynge →
Very commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

housing1

nounhousing (countable and uncountable, plural housings)

plural housings

  1. uncountableThe activity of enclosing something or providing a residence for someone.

    Housing of homeless families is a priority.

  2. uncountableResidences, collectively.

    She lives in low-income housing.

  3. countableA mechanical component's container or covering.

    The gears were grinding against their housing.

  4. countableuncountableA cover or cloth for a horse's saddle, as an ornamental or military appendage; a saddlecloth; a horse cloth; in plural, trappings.
  5. countableuncountableAn appendage to the harness or collar of a harness.
  6. countableuncountablearchitectureThe space taken out of one solid to admit the insertion of part of another, such as the end of one timber in the side of another.
  7. countableuncountableA niche for a statue.
  8. countableuncountablenauticalThat portion of a mast or bowsprit which is beneath the deck or within the vessel.
  9. countableuncountablenauticalA houseline.

housing2

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of house

    We are housing the company's servers in Florida.

    Synonyms: accommodation, lodging, case, casing, cover, covering, lid

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
nonhousing

More synonyms by meaning

nounstructures collectively in which people are housed

Similar
lodgingliving accommodations
Broader
structureconstruction

nounstable gear consisting of a decorated covering for a horse, especially (formerly) for a warhorse

Similar
caparisontrapping
Broader
stable gearsaddlerytack
Also see
accommodationaxle guardcaparisonhouselinelodgingtrapping

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

housing · noun

  1. Middle Englishhousynge
  2. Englishhousing

From Middle English housynge, housinge, from housen (“to house, shelter; receive into one's house”), equivalent to house + -ing. Cognate with Scots housing (“housing”), Old Frisian hūsinge (whence Saterland Frisian Huzenge); compare also Dutch huizing, behuizing (“housing”), Low German husing, hüsing (“housing”), German Behausung (“housing”), Swedish inhysing (“housing”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

housing · verb

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian подслон, жилище
  • подслон (podslon)activity of enclosing or providing residence
  • жилище (žilište)residences
  • корпус (korpus)container
  • кожух (kožuh)container
Catalan habitatge, allotjament
  • habitatgeactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • allotjamentactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • habitatgeresidences
  • vivendaresidences
French logement, logement
  • logementactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • logementresidences
  • résidenceresidences
German Wohnungen
  • Wohnungenresidences
Hungarian lakásépítés, lakhatás
  • lakásépítésactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • lakhatásactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • lakásügyactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • lakáshelyzetactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • lakásviszonyokactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • elhelyezésactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • lakásresidences
  • házresidences
  • szállásresidences
  • burkolatcontainer
  • házcontainer
  • hüvelycontainer
Irish tithíocht, tithíocht
  • tithíochtactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • tithíochtresidences
  • titheresidences
  • cásáilcontainer
Italian alloggiamento, contenitore
  • alloggiamentocontainer
  • contenitorecontainer
  • scatolacontainer
Japanese ハウジング, 筐体
  • ハウジング (haujingu)container
  • 筐体 (kyōtai)container
Māori wharenoho
  • wharenohoresidences
Norwegian Bokmål hus, strømpe
  • huscontainer
  • strømpecontainer
Russian жильё, ко́жух
  • жильё (žilʹjó)residences
  • ко́жух (kóžux)container
  • футля́р (futljár)container
  • чехо́л (čexól)container
  • ко́рпус (kórpus)container
Spanish alojamiento, vivienda
  • alojamientoactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • viviendaresidences
Swedish hus, kåpa
  • huscontainer
  • kåpacontainer
  • skalcontainer
  • huvcontainer
Tagalog pabahay
  • pabahayactivity of enclosing or providing residence
Turkish ikametgâh, konut
  • ikametgâhactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • konutactivity of enclosing or providing residence
  • meskenactivity of enclosing or providing residence

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with housing

browsingrousingarousingcarousingdrowsing
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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