Meaning & use
Houston
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
A large city in the southern US state of Texas, known for its oil industry and space center.
Grammar: Used without 'the': 'I live in Houston.' Not 'the Houston'.
Patterns
- in Houston
- Houston, Texas
- go to Houston
Her brother works for an oil company in Houston.
We flew to Houston to visit the Johnson Space Center.
Houston is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the United States.
phrasefixed phrasehumorous
Used in the humorous phrase 'Houston, we have a problem' to say that something has gone wrong.
Grammar: Always used as a complete exclamation or sentence, often in a joking way.
Patterns
- Houston, we have a problem
The cake is burning and the guests are here — Houston, we have a problem!
When the computer crashed during the presentation, he turned to me and said, 'Houston, we have a problem.'
Common combinations
- Houston, Texas
- The company is based in Houston, Texas.
- downtown Houston
- We spent the afternoon walking around downtown Houston.
- the Houston area
- Many people commute from the Houston area.
- Houston, we have a problem
- He looked at the broken machine and said, 'Houston, we have a problem.'
Commonly confused: Houston or Huston?
Houston vs Huston
A surname (e.g., director John Huston) spelled with 'u' after 'H', not 'o'. Houston is the city; Huston is a family name.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
Names of cities take no article: 'go to Houston'. Option A wrongly adds 'the', option C uses 'a' (cities are not countable), and option D uses the possessive, which is not used for cities in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Houston”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.