tiny house

noun

plural tiny houses

: a small house or mobile home that typically has a floor plan of less than 500 square feet and that is usually designed for ergonomics and space efficiency

The Joneses are one of thousands of families around the United States who have chosen to live in a tiny house in the last few years. For some families, it's about saving money. Others love having a house they can move anywhere, because some are actually built on trailers and can be towed with a car.

—The New York Times Magazine

Now, students and recent graduates of Northwestern University are building a home that takes the tiny house concept one step further: a 128-square foot house that is totally off the grid, equipped with solar panels for energy, a battery bank that can store power for times when no solar power is available, and a system for harvesting rain water.

—Rebecca J. Rosen

—sometimes hyphenated when used before another noun

The rhetoric of modern tiny-house living begins with the assertion that big houses, aside from being wasteful and environmentally noxious, are debtors' prisons …

—Alec Wilkinson

Examples of tiny house in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The interior is very snug and there's not a lot of glazing in there compared to many tiny houses on the market, though a skylight does help increase natural light inside. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 3 Nov. 2024

The 400-square-foot two-story tiny house has a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen—all the essentials for everyday life. —Lauren Taylor, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2024

Walmart is now selling a tiny house online for $15,900. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 18 Oct. 2024

Madeline and Petrov move in next door, determined to rip down Evan Shook’s mansion monstrosity and build a tiny house. —Erin Qualey, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above