frat house
Noun: A frat house is a building, typically a large house, that serves as the official residence and social center for a chapter of a fraternity at a college or university. It is where members (fraternity brothers) live, host social events, and conduct organizational activities.
The term "frat house" is used to refer specifically to the physical building associated with a fraternity. It is a common feature of campus life at many American universities. * The university has strict rules about noise and parties at the frat house. * He lived in the frat house during his sophomore and junior years. * The annual charity fundraiser is being held at the Sigma Chi frat house.
- The concept of a "frat house" often carries cultural connotations beyond its literal definition, symbolizing a specific type of communal living, social life, and sometimes stereotypical behavior associated with fraternity culture in popular media.
- The term is almost exclusively used in the context of North American higher education.
- Fraternity house: A more formal synonym for "frat house."
- Sorority house: The equivalent residence for a chapter of a sorority (a social organization for women).
- Chapter house: A broader term that can refer to the residence of any fraternal, sorority, or other organizational chapter.
- Fraternity (noun): The social organization itself, of which the "frat house" is the residence.
- Fraternity house
- Chapter house (in this specific context)
The term refers strictly to the building. It does not describe the fraternity organization itself, the members, or their activities, though it is intrinsically linked to them. In casual speech, "frat" is often used as a shortened form of "fraternity," but "frat house" always refers to the physical structure.
- a house used as a residence by a chapter of a fraternity