at-home

American  

[at-hohm] / ætˈhoʊm /

noun

1. Also at home a reception of visitors at certain hours at one's home.

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adjective

1. done or used in the home; intended for one's home.

   a new line of at-home computers; at-home assignments for free-lance workers.

at-home British  

noun

1. another name for open day

2. a social gathering in a person's home

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at home Idioms  

1. In one's own residence, town, or country. For example, Mary was not at home when I called , or Tourists in a foreign country often behave more rudely than they do at home . This idiom was first recorded in a ninth-century treatise.

2. Ready to receive a visitor, as in We are always at home to our neighbor's children . This usage gave rise to the noun at-home , meaning a reception to which guests are invited on a specific day at specific hours (also see open house ). [c. 1600]

3. Also, at home with . Comfortable and familiar, as in Mary always makes us feel at home , or I've never been at home with his style of management . [Early 1500s] Also see at ease , def. 1.

4. Also, at home with . Proficient, well-versed in, as in Young John is so much at home with numbers that he may well become a mathematician , or Chris is really at home in French . [Late 1700s]

5. In team sports, playing on one's own field or in one's own town. For example, The Red Sox always do better at home than they do at away games .

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Etymology

Origin of at-home

First recorded in 1740–45

Example Sentences

Although the powder has not yet been formulated into a toothpaste, the findings suggest it could lead to a new type of at-home whitening treatment that is both effective and protective of oral health.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

Prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies, including for at-home use, rose more than eightfold in the first nine months of 2025 compared with all of 2024, according to the Iqvia Institute for Human Data Science.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Most of the movie takes place in that witching-hour window, an airlessly silent time where an at-home podcaster doesn’t worry about being interrupted by a leaf blower, an ice cream truck or a dog.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

The median cost of at-home paid care is now $80,000 per year, and a shared room in nursing care is $115,000 per year, according to CareScout.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

Today’s at-home spa session made me forget about yesterday, but now I feel like telling Mrs. Walton to turn the car around and drop me back home.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

Related Words

• banquet
• barbecue
• bash
• feast
• festivity
• gala
• luncheon
• reception
• shindig