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

Davis runs a tight ship in a full house in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood. —Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

Earlier, 46-year-old Messias was approved by a Senate commission, but the full house disagreed in a secret vote. —ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026

Subject of this mass hysteria was Elvis Aaron Presley, 21-year-old singer and hero of the nation’s teenagers who purely fractured two full houses at Municipal Auditorium last night with his unique actions and sensational style. —Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026

Barring a full house cleaning in the executive suite off Griffiths Way, Hronek will likely be back next season. —Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for full house

• alehouse
• almshouse
• backhouse
• baghouse
• bakehouse
• bathhouse
• bauhaus
• blockhouse
• boathouse
• brewhouse
• bunkhouse
• clubhouse