Meaning & use
it's on the house
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Said when a restaurant, bar, or similar place gives you food or drink without charging you.
Grammar: Use it as a complete sentence or after 'be': 'The coffee is on the house.' No object follows.
Patterns
- something is on the house
- it's on the house
The manager said the dessert was on the house because we waited so long.
Don't worry about paying for the coffee — it's on the house.
Every Friday, the first drink is on the house.
Common combinations
- the drinks are on the house
- Congratulations! The drinks are on the house tonight.
- on the house for someone
- The meal was on the house for the birthday group.
- put something on the house
- The owner put our wine on the house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- free
- This is the general word for anything you do not pay for; 'on the house' is used only when a business gives it to you.
- complimentary
- This is more formal and often appears on hotel or airline notices, while 'on the house' sounds conversational.
Opposites
Word family
- house noun
- The building where people live; here it means the business that is treating you.
Commonly confused: it's on the house or on the market?
it's on the house vs on the market
This means 'available to buy', not 'free'. A house that is 'on the market' is for sale.
Practice
The bartender smiled and said, 'Your first drink is ___ the house.'
Choose one answer.
'On the house' is the fixed phrase for something given free by a business. 'In', 'at' and 'for' do not form this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “it's on the house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.