homework
Americannoun
-
schoolwork assigned to be done outside the classroom (distinguished from classwork ).
-
a single assignment of such schoolwork: Homeworks are due at the beginning of class.
-
thorough preparatory study of a subject.
to do one's homework for the next committee meeting.
noun
-
school work done out of lessons, esp at home
-
any preparatory study
-
work done at home for pay
Etymology
Origin of homework
Explanation
Any assignment you're expected to complete after school and bring back to class the next day is called homework. Many students make up excuses for not having their homework done. The "My dog ate my homework" excuse doesn't work so well in the digital age. High school students typically have a lot of homework most days, and often that's true for younger students as well. In college, an increasing amount of school work is done outside of class, as homework (even if you do it in the library, a cafe, or a dorm). Homework originally referred to any work done at home, including cooking and cleaning. The first example of the "school work" meaning dates from the late 1880s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unsurprisingly, Vance hadn’t done his homework: Both men involved in that crime were British by birth.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
He sketched an idea on the back of his nine-year-old daughter's homework, he says, and soon showed it to an architect, partly expecting him to "laugh me out of the room".
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
In a December Rand survey, about two-thirds of college students who used AI for homework agreed the technology was hurting critical-thinking skills.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Although the movie is a continuation of the series, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is a self-contained story that does not require any “Star Wars” homework.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Getting Jonah to do his homework is like trying to convince a cat to eat vegetables.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
