lodger

noun

lodg·​er ˈlä-jər How to pronounce lodger (audio)
: roomer

Examples of lodger in a Sentence

the mysterious lodger slept all day and only went out at night
Recent Examples on the Web His eccentric upstairs lodger Coco (Rebecca F. Wright) is a COVID denier who’s a bad influence on Bahlul, further vexing Terry. Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024 In the summer of 2024 Melville House will release his Devil's Contract: The History of the Faustian Bargain The Franciscan Sisters of Earling, Iowa took an unusual lodger into their convent in 1928, a 46 year old woman named Emma Schmidt with a history of demonic possession. TIME, 28 Oct. 2023 Frank had started out as her lodger more than thirty years ago. Mary Costello, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023 Parts of this anxious, patchwork book are composed of letters written by the housekeeper of a Southern boarding house sometime after the Civil War, mostly concerning her troubles with a threatening male lodger. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 16 June 2023 We are clued in to the lodger’s identity (the actor family, the secessionist loyalties). Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023 Pauline’s family lived in a ramshackle home and made ends meet by taking in lodgers. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2023 Her hosts fretted about a practice new to her: the possibility of crosses being burned in their yard due to the presence of a dark-eyed lodger with a foreign accent. Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 17 Mar. 2023 Temporary accommodation taxes like the ones at issue can add up to 10% to a lodger's bill and are intended to pay for projects that offset wear and tear on city and county infrastructure brought on by tourism so local property-tax payers don't have to foot all of those costs. John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 25 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lodger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lodger was in 1596

Dictionary Entries Near lodger

Cite this Entry

“Lodger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lodger. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lodger

noun
lodg·​er ˈläj-ər How to pronounce lodger (audio)
: one that lodges
especially : one that occupies a rented room in another's house

Legal Definition

lodger

noun
lodg·​er ˈlä-jər How to pronounce lodger (audio)
: a person who occupies a rented room in another's house
specifically : a person who by agreement with the owner of a house acquires no property, interest, or possession therein but only the right to occupy a designated room or area that remains in the owner's legal possession

More from Merriam-Webster on lodger

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