ENGLISH
REFERENCE

household

n. · adj.
US //ˈhaʊsˌhoʊɫd// UK //hˈaʊshəʊld// house·hold
  1. 1 home management (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the work and organization needed to keep a home running.

    the collective tasks, management, and maintenance required to sustain a domestic establishment.

    Example

    She took over the management of the household after her father retired.

    Example

    The daily chores required to maintain a large Victorian household were often divided among several specialized staff members.
  2. 2 domestic or everyday (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    relating to a house or the people living in it.

    pertaining to the home or family; relating to domestic life and maintenance.

    Example

    We need to buy some basic household items like soap and light bulbs.

    Example

    The survey focused on the rising cost of essential household goods and their impact on low-income families.
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  1. 3 famous or familiar (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    very well known by almost everyone.

    widely known to the general public; familiar to the point of being a common topic of conversation.

    Example

    The young singer became a household name after winning the talent show.

    Example

    Within six months of the product launch, the brand had become a household name across the entire continent.

    Usage

    Almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase 'household name'.

    Teacher's tip

    Explain that this sense is nearly always paired with 'name' to describe a celebrity or a very famous brand.
Origin

From Middle English houshold. By surface analysis, house + hold. Cognate with Scots houshald, housald, housell, howsell (“household”), Dutch huishouden (“household”) (earlier huishoud), German Low German Huushollen (“household”) (Middle Low German hūsholt), German Haushalt (“household”), Swedish hushåll (“household, family”), Norwegian husholdning (“household”).

Word family

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