What does dosshouse mean?
A dosshouse is a cheap, run-down establishment providing overnight accommodation, usually to homeless people, vagrants, or those too poor to afford anything better. The word is distinctly British and informal, deriving from the slang verb 'to doss,' which means to sleep in rough or makeshift conditions. A dosshouse typically implies minimal facilities, shared beds or dormitories, and an atmosphere of poverty and neglect — it is far more pejorative than words like 'hostel' or 'guesthouse.' Someone might say they 'ended up in a dosshouse' after falling on hard times, and the term can also be applied figuratively to any filthy, badly kept dwelling. In American English the nearest equivalent is 'flophouse.' Though increasingly dated as such institutions have largely disappeared from British towns, the word survives in journalism, fiction, and colloquial speech as a vivid shorthand for the lowest rung of temporary shelter.
nounA cheap, basic building providing overnight lodging, typically for homeless people or very poor people; a lodging house of the lowest quality.
- A cheap, low-quality lodging house offering basic overnight accommodation, especially for homeless people or itinerant workers.
"After losing his job, he spent several months in a dosshouse on the edge of town."
"The old dosshouse by the canal has been converted into flats."
"With no money for rent, he took a bed at the local dosshouse."
Standard English plural; simply adds -s to the compound noun.
"Most of the city's Victorian dosshouses were demolished decades ago."
In British slang, to 'doss' means to sleep — so a dosshouse is literally, and unglamorously, 'a sleep house' for those with nowhere else to go.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does dosshouse come from?
Dosshouse combines 'doss,' British slang meaning to sleep, especially in poor conditions, with 'house.' The verb 'doss' itself is thought to derive from 'doss' meaning a bundle or bedding (related to 'dose,' a bundle of straw), though its precise origins are uncertain; it emerged in nineteenth-century British tramp and vagrancy slang. The compound dosshouse arose in the same milieu, referring to the cheap lodging houses frequented by casual labourers and the homeless.
Related word forms
How dosshouse is actually used
Primarily British and informal, with slightly derogatory or downmarket connotations; the word evokes squalor and destitution rather than neutral budget accommodation. Less common in American English, where 'flophouse' serves a similar role.
Easily confused with dosshouse
Doss-house is simply an alternative hyphenated spelling of the same word, not a different word.