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open house

open house

35 2.7
An event when people are invited to visit and feel welcome
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊpən haʊs/
translation icon : jornada de puertas abiertas
  • The school is hosting an open house to allow parents to explore the new facilities.
  • hold an open house
  • attend an open house
  • open house for parents

And Adam goes, no MLS, no photos, no open house, no buyers.

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Examples

  • The real reason that real estate agents hold open houses is to meet clients.

  • Lossing and Elston hosted an open house at their downtown law office to sell Koumama's jewelry.

    Academic text (2006)
  • I met you at the open house I was holding the other day.

  • We came to the open house yesterday.

  • Well, we're going to be late for the open house.

  • An open house has been planned for tomorrow.

  • About 20 teachers and a group of high school students came to the open house.

    Academic text (1995)
  • We're having a really neat open house today from four to whenever if you care to stop by.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The building and a historical marker were dedicated on November 19, 2014, followed by an open house for GHS members.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Recently, at an open house in a neighborhood school, the principal addressed a contingent of parents.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

come-all-ye
vsopen house
  • Archaic
9.8

An event open to everyone where people are welcome to come

is more informal and centers on hospitality for visitors

How Open

open house
35 2.7
invitational
2 6.5
private
1.8

Surface Forms

open house singular
open houses plural

Morphology

open + house

The event meaning is directly derivable from combining 'open' (allowing access) and 'house' (a dwelling) — literally a house made open to visitors. This adjective+noun composition follows standard, cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer it refers to an occasion when a place is open for people to visit.

Etymology

Open house comes from the simple image of a house with its doors open so anyone can walk in. One popular idea is that hosts literally opened their home to 'visit' and 'welcome' people, so today an open house is an event where visitors are invited to come and meet others.