homework
Americannoun
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homework
plural
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schoolwork assigned to be done outside the classroom (distinguished from classwork ).
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a single assignment of such schoolwork: Homeworks are due at the beginning of class.
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thorough preparatory study of a subject.
to do one's homework for the next committee meeting.
noun
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school work done out of lessons, esp at home
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any preparatory study
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work done at home for pay
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Still, the robots have some homework to do before they can make a dent in your laundry tasks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
With every language-services company using its own accuracy measures, everyone essentially grades their own homework, using their own rules.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
What Tom Nancy hasn’t accounted for are the great trials of life as a human child: homework, chores, no dessert after dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"You get home at 7 pm, and have no time to sleep or do your homework," one lycéen told France 2.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
I stood for another few seconds, then I went upstairs to change and do my homework.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
