Meaning & use
sorority house in college
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
A large house near a university where members of a women's student society live together.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a sorority house' or 'three sorority houses'.
Patterns
- live in a sorority house
- a sorority house on campus
- join a sorority house
My cousin lives in a sorority house in college, so she shares a kitchen with twenty other students.
The sorority house in college was built in 1920 and still has its original wooden staircase.
She moved into a sorority house in college during her second year and made friends from all over the state.
nouncountableAmerican
The building itself as a place on campus, often used when talking about its location or appearance.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' when both speakers know which building is meant: 'meet me at the sorority house'.
Patterns
- at the sorority house
- near the sorority house
- the sorority house down the street
There is a big white sorority house in college right across from the library.
We took photos in front of the sorority house in college before the dance.
The sorority house in college is easy to find because of the flag outside.
Word forms
| plural | sorority houses in college |
|---|
Common combinations
- live in a sorority house
- Many students live in a sorority house during their junior year.
- a sorority house on campus
- The new sorority house on campus has room for forty women.
- sorority house mother
- The sorority house mother cooks breakfast for everyone on weekdays.
- join a sorority
- She decided to join a sorority in her first semester.
- a fraternity house
- His brother stays in a fraternity house a few streets away.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chapter house
- Used for the same kind of building in some student organizations; it sounds more formal and is less common in everyday speech.
- student residence
- A general term for any building where students live; it does not suggest a women's social society.
- dormitory
- A hall where many students live, usually run by the university rather than by a student society.
Word family
- sorority noun
- A social organization for women students at a US university.
- sorority sister noun
- A member of the same sorority as someone else.
- fraternity noun
- The similar organization for men students.
- Greek life noun
- The general name for fraternities and sororities at a university.
Commonly confused: sorority house in college or dormitory? sorority house in college or frat house?
sorority house in college vs dormitory
A dormitory is usually owned by the university and open to all students, while a sorority house belongs to one women's society and its members.
sorority house in college vs frat house
Informal for a fraternity house, the men's equivalent; do not use it for a sorority.
Practice
Which sentence uses the term correctly?
Choose one answer.
A sorority house is a home for members of a women's student society, so 'lives in ... with other members' fits. Option 0 fails because a sorority is for women students, option 2 confuses the building with a course, and option 3 ignores that it belongs to a student organization, not tourists.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sorority house in college”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.