household
B1Formal to Neutral
Definition
Meaning
All the people who live together in one dwelling unit.
The domestic unit and its affairs, finances, or possessions; also used attributively to describe goods, names, or words commonly known within a domestic setting.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a countable noun, but also functions attributively as an adjective (e.g., household goods). Focuses on the co-residential unit rather than familial relationships.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use the term identically. The compound 'household name' is slightly more frequent in British media, but the concept is identical.
Connotations
Neutral in both, implying a shared residence and shared domestic economy.
Frequency
High frequency in both varieties, with similar distribution across contexts like statistics, economics, and everyday language.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Adj] householdhousehold of [number]household headed by [person]verb + household (run/manage/support a household)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A household name/word”
- “Run the household”
- “Head of the household”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to the consumer unit in market research and economics (e.g., 'household spending').
Academic
Used in sociology, demography, and economics as a basic unit of analysis.
Everyday
Common in discussions about chores, finances, and family life.
Technical
Precisely defined in censuses and surveys (e.g., 'one household per dwelling').
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- Household cleaner
- Household bills
- Household name
American English
- Household products
- Household income
- Household name
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My household has four people.
- We buy milk for the household every week.
- The average household size in the city is getting smaller.
- Managing a household budget can be difficult.
- Government policy aims to reduce household debt.
- The product became a household name after a successful advertising campaign.
- The survey analysed expenditure patterns across different household types.
- Sociologists study the changing dynamics of the modern household.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a HOUSE you HOLD together with others.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE HOUSEHOLD IS A CONTAINER (for people, finances, activities).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с 'домашнее хозяйство' (housekeeping). 'Household' — это прежде всего люди, живущие вместе. Например, 'three-person household' — это 'домохозяйство из трёх человек', а не 'три домашних хозяйства'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'household' as an uncountable noun (*much household). Using it synonymously with 'house' (A house is a building; a household is the people in it).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary meaning of 'household' as a noun?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A 'household' is defined by shared residence, while a 'family' is defined by kinship. A household can include non-relatives like lodgers, and family members can live in separate households.
Yes, very commonly. It is used attributively before another noun (e.g., household appliances, household expenses) to mean 'relating to or used in the running of a home'.
It refers to a person, brand, or product that is very well known to almost everyone (as if known in every household).
Yes, this is a natural and common construction to specify the number of people in the domestic unit.