Skip to main content
outbuilding

outbuilding

8 3.9
A small building on the same property as a house used to store tools or to work in
  • noun
  • /ˈaʊtˌbɪldɪŋ/
translation icon : anexo
  • Nestled in emerald hills are the thatched-roof house, barn, and outbuildings of a well-run farm.
  • houses and outbuildings

Well, they, they went into my outbuilding, my second property.

Examples

  • There were so many barns, outbuildings, and houses; it was like a settlement.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Red tin roofs topped a two-story white plank farmhouse, the outbuildings behind it, and a barn that sat below.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • At last we reached a small outbuilding at the edge of the courtyard.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • - You two take the outbuildings and we'll take the farm.

  • Let's check those outbuildings we saw coming in.

  • Art looked up the creek and across it at the house, outbuildings, and barn.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • According to council regulations, a wooden outbuilding should not exceed a maximum eaves height of 2.5 meters.

  • The fire, by now, had spread to the nearby sheds and outbuildings.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Now and then, Myers saw a farmhouse and its outbuildings, everything surrounded by a wall.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The Homeplace is a 19th-century family farm with cabins and various outbuildings used for storage.

Synonyms

shed
vsoutbuilding
159 1.0

A small simple building in a garden for storing tools

is a general term for separate minor buildings used for secondary purposes
outhouse
vsoutbuilding
33 5.8

A small building near a house that has a simple outdoor toilet

is broader covering any secondary building beyond just sanitation uses
boathouse
vsoutbuilding
23 2.7

A small building by a river or lake where people keep boats

is any secondary building on a property not limited to waterside use
guesthouse
vsoutbuilding
21 2.5

A small building near a house where visitors stay

is more general and often nonresidential or used for storage
summerhouse
vsoutbuilding
3 3.4

A small building in a garden where people sit and relax in warm weather

is a practical separate building for work or storage rather than leisure
farm building
vsoutbuilding
1 2.0

A building on a farm used to keep animals, crops, or farm tools

is a general separate building for various nonfarm secondary purposes
backhouse
vsoutbuilding
  • Archaic
7.9

A small building behind a house used as a toilet or for storing tools

is any separate secondary building not only those behind the main house

How Big

warehouse
332 1.4
barn
363 1.0
outbuilding
8 3.9
shed
159 1.0
lean-to
6 6.7

Surface Forms

outbuilding singular
outbuildings plural

Morphology

outbuilding = building (transparent) = out + building

Meaning is directly derived from 'out' (external/separate) + 'building' (structure); the compound denotes a secondary structure on the same property.

Etymology

The word outbuilding is made of out and building, where out means 'outside' and building means 'a structure you use'. So an outbuilding is a smaller building located outside or beside the main house, often used for storage or work.