full house

noun

plural full houses
1
: a poker hand containing three of a kind and a pair see poker illustration
2
: a theater, concert hall, etc. that is completely filled with spectators
Nevertheless, Into Great Silence played to a full house for two months at one of the city's hippest independent movie theaters.—Michael Boudway

Examples of full house in a Sentence

a singer performing before a full house A hand with three kings and two tens is a full house.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The slacker generation of latchkey kids has become the sandwich generation with a full house. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 31 July 2026 With over 300 RSVPs, the four-DJ lineup played for a full house. — Zuri Primos july 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026 What looked like almost half the full house immediately walked on stage and lined up. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 After a shaky start when there were empty seats for the game between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, stadium after stadium reported full houses. — James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for full house

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of full house was in 1701

Rhymes for full house

See All Rhymes for full house

Browse Nearby Words

fullhearted
full house
fulling mill
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Cite this Entry

“Full house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/full%20house. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on full house

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about full house

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