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Definition of housebroken

housebroken

/ˈhaʊsˌbroʊ.kən/
house · bro · ken
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housebroken Lexical Profile

housebroken Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

North American Trained to excrete bodily wastes outdoors or in a designated indoor area, such as a litter box, rather than inside the living quarters of a home (used of a domestic pet).

Example

"Before adopting the puppy from the shelter, the family asked whether he was already housebroken."

2

North American Trained to behave in a polite, compliant, or socially acceptable manner; domesticated or tamed (used figuratively and humorously of a person).

Example

"After years of bachelorhood, he joked that marriage had finally made him housebroken."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Nearby Words

housebreak
housebreaker
housebreaking
housebroken
housebuilder
housebuilding
houseclean

Word Origin & Etymology

First recorded in early 20th-century American English, formed by combining 'house' with 'broken' in the sense of training or domesticating an animal (as in breaking a horse).

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Housebroken. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/housebroken
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