Meaning & use
house name
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Meanings
nouncountable
A name given to a house or building, often shown on a sign or gate, instead of or in addition to a street number.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun: you can say 'a house name' or 'the house name'.
Patterns
- have a house name
- give a house a name
- the house name is ...
Their house name is 'Rose Cottage', but the official address is 14 Mill Lane.
The postman had trouble finding the house because the house name was hidden by trees.
In some villages, every house has a house name rather than a number.
nouncountablebusinessspecialist
The name of a company or organization used for its publishing or business activities, especially in book publishing.
Grammar: Often used in publishing contexts: 'under the house name' means using the company's own name.
Patterns
- publish under a house name
- use a house name
- the house name of a publisher
The author chose to publish the novel under a house name rather than her real name.
Many classic books were first released under a house name to keep the writer's identity secret.
The publisher's house name appears on the spine of every book it produces.
Word forms
| plural | house names |
|---|
Common combinations
- house name sign
- They bought a wooden house name sign for their front gate.
- have a house name
- The cottage doesn't have a house name, just a number.
- under a house name
- She published her first book under a house name.
- choose a house name
- When they moved in, they chose a house name based on the old oak tree.
Synonyms and how they differ
- property name
- A broader term that can refer to any named property, not just a house.
- building name
- Similar but often used for larger structures like offices or blocks of flats.
Word family
Commonly confused: house name or household name?
house name vs household name
A 'household name' is a person or thing that is very famous and known by everyone; a 'house name' is the name of a building or a publishing company.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'house name' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A house name is the name of a house or building, so painting it on a sign is correct. Option A confuses it with a street address; option C confuses it with a family name; option D treats it as a physical object you can buy, which is not the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “house name”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.