Definition

Noun: A building, typically a large house, where individual rooms are available for rent, usually on a medium- or long-term basis. Tenants often share common facilities like bathrooms and kitchens. It is a type of lodging.

Usage

A "rooming house" refers to the building itself that provides this specific rental service. It is used as a countable noun. * The city has regulations for the safety of rooming houses. * He found affordable accommodation in a rooming house near the university.

Examples

• After moving to the city, she stayed in a rooming house while she looked for an apartment.
• The old Victorian home was converted into a rooming house.
• Living in a rooming house can be a good way to meet people.

Advanced Usage

• The term often implies a more basic or economical form of housing compared to an apartment or a hotel.
• It can sometimes carry a slightly dated or formal connotation, with similar modern concepts often called "boarding houses," "hostels," or "single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels," though distinctions exist.

Variants and Related Words

• Boarding House (n.): A similar establishment that may also provide meals.
• Lodging House (n.): A near-synonym, often used interchangeably with "rooming house."
• Tenement (n.): A multi-occupancy building, often in an urban area, which may include rooming houses.

Synonyms

• Boarding house
• Lodging house
• Rooming accommodation

Antonyms

• Owner-occupied house
• Single-family home
• Hotel (for very short-term stays)

Noun

1. a house where rooms are rented