open house

noun

1. a party or reception during which anyone who wishes may visit to share in a celebration, meet a special guest, etc.

2. a time during which a school, institution, etc., is open to the public for exhibition or for some specific occasion.

3. a house hospitably open to all friends who may wish to visit it.

open house

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): open day.  at-home. an occasion on which an institution, such as a school, is open for inspection by the public

2. to be always ready to provide hospitality

3. a house available for inspection by prospective buyers

Word History and Origins

Origin of open house¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. keep open house, to be prepared to entertain visitors at any time.

   They keep open house for artists and writers.

Example Sentences

After scouring countless rentals online, the couple found a listing for the Hollywood apartment on Zillow, only to encounter what they now describe as “a feeding frenzy” when they arrived at the open house.

From Los Angeles Times

Connells told us they spoke to the cash buyer the Monday after the open house and that she was undecided about putting in an offer.

From BBC

Later this year, she hopes to host a sale of her work at a holiday open house in her apartment.

From Los Angeles Times

The campus tradition revolves around an open house for prospective students and their parents.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a bittersweet moment for Elachi, 76, who had danced down that tiled staircase when she and her husband first saw the home during an open house in the early 1980s.

From Los Angeles Times