Meaning & use
residential house
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A building that is used as a private home for people to live in, rather than for business or industry.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a residential house', 'two residential houses', or 'residential houses'.
Patterns
- a residential house
- residential houses
- build a residential house
- live in a residential house
The city has strict rules about building a residential house on this street.
They turned the old factory into a residential house for a large family.
Most of the buildings on our road are residential houses, not offices.
nouncountabletechnical
A house in an area where people live, as opposed to a commercial or industrial zone.
Grammar: Often used in property descriptions and planning documents to contrast with shops or factories.
Patterns
- a residential house in a quiet area
- residential house for sale
- planning permission for a residential house
The real estate agent listed the property as a residential house in a quiet neighborhood.
They applied for permission to convert the warehouse into a residential house.
The map shows the area is mostly residential houses and schools.
Word forms
| plural | residential houses |
|---|
Common combinations
- residential area
- They live in a quiet residential area near the park.
- residential property
- She invests in residential property rather than offices.
- residential building
- The new residential building has fifty apartments.
- residential street
- It's a residential street, so there's not much traffic.
- residential house for sale
- We saw a sign for a residential house for sale on Maple Avenue.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dwelling
- More formal and technical; often used in legal or official writing, while 'residential house' is clearer in everyday speech.
- home
- Warmer and more personal; 'home' focuses on where someone lives, while 'residential house' focuses on the building's use.
- house
- The general word; 'residential house' just makes clear it is not a business building.
Opposites
Word family
- residence noun
- The fact of living somewhere, or a house where someone lives.
- resident noun
- A person who lives in a particular place.
- residential adjective
- Describing an area or building used for homes.
Commonly confused: residential house or resident?
residential house vs resident
A 'resident' is a person who lives somewhere; a 'residential house' is the building itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'residential house' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Residential house' means a building used as a private home, so 'live in' fits. The other options describe business or industrial uses, which are not residential.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “residential house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.