Definition

Adjective Describes a pet that has been taught to control its bodily functions, specifically to urinate and defecate only in designated outdoor areas or on special indoor surfaces (like a litter box), and not inside the home.

Usage

This adjective is used to describe the state of a domestic animal's toilet training. It is primarily used in British English; the common American English equivalent is housebroken. * It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like 'is' or 'are'). * It applies almost exclusively to pets like dogs and cats.

Examples

• Attributive use: "We are looking for a house-trained puppy to adopt."
• Predicative use: "Is your new kitten house-trained yet?"
• "The advertisement stated that the dog was fully house-trained and good with children."

Advanced Usage / Notes

• The term implies successful training and reliable behavior from the pet.
• It is considered a standard and expected condition for adult pets living indoors in many cultures.
• The training process itself is often referred to as "house-training" (a noun) or "to house-train" (a verb).

Variants and Related Words

• House-train (verb): To teach a pet to be house-trained.
  • Example: "It took us three months to house-train our puppy."
• Housebreaking (noun, chiefly US): The process of training a pet. The resulting state is being housebroken (adjective, US equivalent).
  • Example: "The housebreaking went smoothly, and the dog is now completely housebroken."

Synonyms

• Housebroken (chiefly US)
• Toilet-trained (can be used, though more common for human children)
• Litter-trained (specific to cats and small animals that use a litter box)

Antonyms

• Untrained
• Not house-trained / Not housebroken

Adjective

1. (of pets) trained to urinate and defecate outside or in a special place
   • housebroken pets
   • `house-trained' is chiefly British