domestic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family.
domestic pleasures.
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devoted to home life or household affairs.
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no longer wild; domesticated; tame.
domestic animals.
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of or relating to one's own or a particular country as apart from other countries.
domestic trade.
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indigenous to or produced or made within one's own country; not foreign; native.
domestic goods.
noun
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domestics
plural
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a hired household servant.
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something produced or manufactured in one's own country.
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domestics, household items made of cloth, as sheets, towels, and tablecloths.
adjective
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of or involving the home or family
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enjoying or accustomed to home or family life
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(of an animal) bred or kept by man as a pet or for purposes such as the supply of food
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of, produced in, or involving one's own country or a specific country
domestic and foreign affairs
noun
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a household servant
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informal (esp in police use) an incident of violence in the home, esp between a man and a woman
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antidomesticadjective
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nondomesticadjective
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predomesticadjective
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semidomesticadjective
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undomesticadjective
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antidomesticallyadverb
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domesticallyadverb
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nondomesticallyadverb
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predomesticallyadverb
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semidomesticallyadverb
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undomesticallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing domestic
List 1
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Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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"On Women's Right to Vote" by Susan B. Anthony
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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.
See Examples For:
She said her organisation had a responsibility to help countries to restructure debt if needed; to assist with domestic resource mobilisation; to bring in international finance; and to create conditions for private investment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
The police force has denied claims that it "covered up" the crimes, but vowed to improve the way it protects women from police-perpetrated domestic abuse.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
It’s about a month before Holmes begins her prison sentence, and the disgraced Theranos CEO is the picture of domestic bliss, lightly beating a bowl of eggs in the kitchen of a rental home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"ASEAN is very, very careful when it comes to what they call domestic sovereignty. So they are unlikely to do anything," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
He must have known all along that the scientific life was not for me, that the jaws of the domestic trap were well and truly sprung.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
TJ: Well, working as domestics, my grandmother and her sisters owned their houses once they got to Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
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
"It's family, everyone who's here, domestics, carers, caterers, everybody, it's in here," she says, patting her heart.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2019
But this night of my first visit was Kitchen Mechanics’ Night at the Savoy, the traditional Thursday night off for domestics.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
