domestic

American  

[duh-mes-tik] / dəˈmɛs tɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family.

   domestic pleasures.

2. devoted to home life or household affairs.

3. no longer wild; domesticated; tame.

   domestic animals.

4. of or relating to one's own or a particular country as apart from other countries.

   domestic trade.

5. indigenous to or produced or made within one's own country; not foreign; native.

   domestic goods.

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noun

• domestics
  plural

1. a hired household servant.

2. something produced or manufactured in one's own country.

3. domestics, household items made of cloth, as sheets, towels, and tablecloths.

domestic British  

/ dəˈmɛstɪk /

adjective

1. of or involving the home or family

2. enjoying or accustomed to home or family life

3. (of an animal) bred or kept by man as a pet or for purposes such as the supply of food

4. of, produced in, or involving one's own country or a specific country

   domestic and foreign affairs

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noun

1. a household servant

2. informal (esp in police use) an incident of violence in the home, esp between a man and a woman

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antidomestic
  adjective
• nondomestic
  adjective
• predomestic
  adjective
• semidomestic
  adjective
• undomestic
  adjective
• antidomestically
  adverb
• domestically
  adverb
• nondomestically
  adverb
• predomestically
  adverb
• semidomestically
  adverb
• undomestically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• domestics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of domestic

First recorded in 1515–25; from Latin domesticus, derivative of domus “house” ( see dome); replacing domestique, from Middle French

Explanation

Domestic generally means relating to someone's family, home, or home country. Domestic work is work done in the home — a domestic is someone who works in a home, such as a nanny or a maid. Domestic is also used to refer to products that are produced in your country, or policies and affairs that relate to your country. And domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, are used to living with people. Domestic derives from Middle English, from Old French domestique, from Latin domesticus, from domus, "house."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

domestic domestics

The domestic emoluments clause provides for the president to receive a fixed salary and bars him from receiving “Any other emolument from the United States or any of them.”

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

At the same time, survivors of domestic violence or stalking use these surveillance products for their advertised purpose: to monitor their personal safety.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Economic activity cooled as surging exports fueled by the AI boom failed to offset weakness in domestic demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The wickets were shared in a fine all-round bowling effort by the Rockets as Adams finished with miserly figures of 2-9 and Phillips, the 23-year-old domestic seamer, impressed with 2-12.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

And bit by bit, some underground living quarters, particularly those occupied by officers, were outfitted with such domestic comforts as electric lights, plank floors, fixed bedsteads, even carpets and pictures.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

As a result, these consumers flocked to imports like Corona and Heineken, as well as domestics like Budweiser, and, yes, Bud Light.

From Slate ● Apr. 7, 2023

He expects us to get preoccupied with inflation and other domestics issues.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2022

There are hints of plots and secrets among the domestics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2022

Since we domestics are all companion animals, we educate each other, bringing our worlds to intersect and interact.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2021

Black women replaced them, accounting for 60 percent of all domestics in the 1940s, and dominated the field until other occupations began to open up to them.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• indigenous
• internal
• national