A residence is the place where someone lives. Your residence might be a house, an apartment, a farm, or even a houseboat. The word sounds more formal than “home,” and you'll often see it used in official contexts: a doctor's office might ask for your place of residence on a form, or a library card application might request proof of residence to show you live in the area.

When you establish residence somewhere, you're making it your settled, regular place to live, not just visiting for a weekend.

You might hear about a legal residence, which matters for things like voting, paying taxes, or which school you attend. Some people maintain multiple residences: a family might have a primary residence in the city where they work and go to school, plus a summer residence at the beach.

A resident is someone who lives in a particular place, like the residents of your neighborhood or apartment building. The word can also refer to someone living somewhere temporarily for training or work: medical school graduates are called residents while completing years of supervised practice at hospitals.