diff --git a/AK/Tests/Makefile b/AK/Tests/Makefile
index 13581e0758..abede6c7ba 100644
--- a/AK/Tests/Makefile
+++ b/AK/Tests/Makefile
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ APPS = ${SRCS:.cpp=}
 
 EXTRA_CLEAN = $(APPS) *.o
 
-HOST_CXX = 1
+USE_HOST_CXX = 1
 
 include ../../Makefile.common
 
diff --git a/DevTools/FormCompiler/Makefile b/DevTools/FormCompiler/Makefile
index 9c8297b02e..df4308d3b7 100644
--- a/DevTools/FormCompiler/Makefile
+++ b/DevTools/FormCompiler/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-HOST_CXX = 1
+USE_HOST_CXX = 1
 
 PROGRAM = FormCompiler
 
diff --git a/DevTools/IPCCompiler/Makefile b/DevTools/IPCCompiler/Makefile
index 1cc65ded59..151bf0f2cd 100644
--- a/DevTools/IPCCompiler/Makefile
+++ b/DevTools/IPCCompiler/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-HOST_CXX = 1
+USE_HOST_CXX = 1
 
 PROGRAM = IPCCompiler
 
diff --git a/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_cpp/Makefile b/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_cpp/Makefile
index 2fbac0c056..8b5a619135 100644
--- a/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_cpp/Makefile
+++ b/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_cpp/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-HOST_CXX = 1
+USE_HOST_CXX = 1
 
 PROGRAM = Generate_CSS_PropertyID_cpp
 
diff --git a/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_h/Makefile b/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_h/Makefile
index aff0892a8d..bc54f89441 100644
--- a/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_h/Makefile
+++ b/Libraries/LibHTML/CodeGenerators/Generate_CSS_PropertyID_h/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-HOST_CXX = 1
+USE_HOST_CXX = 1
 
 PROGRAM = Generate_CSS_PropertyID_h
 
diff --git a/Makefile.common b/Makefile.common
index 4849feec65..27c7afb4c4 100644
--- a/Makefile.common
+++ b/Makefile.common
@@ -22,12 +22,16 @@ INCLUDE_FLAGS += \
 
 VERBOSE = 0
 
-ifneq ($(HOST_CXX),)
+ifneq ($(USE_HOST_CXX),)
     ifeq '' '$(findstring clang++,$(CXX))'
         C_WARNING_FLAGS += -Wno-unknown-warning-option
         CXX_WARNING_FLAGS += -Wno-unknown-warning-option
     endif
-    CXX = $(PRE_CXX) g++
+    ifeq ($(HOST_CXX),)
+        CXX = $(PRE_CXX) g++
+    else
+        CXX = $(HOST_CXX)
+    endif
     AS = as
     LINK = ld
     OBJ_SUFFIX ?= .host