home economics

American

noun

the art and science of home management.
a college curriculum usually including studies in nutrition, the purchase, preparation, and service of food, interior design, clothing and textiles, child development, family relationships, and household economics.

home economics British

noun

(functioning as singular or plural) the study of diet, budgeting, child care, textiles, and other subjects concerned with running a home

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

home economist noun

Etymology

Origin of home economics

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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.

For much of the 1900s, family and consumer sciences, more broadly known as home economics, were a staple of educational curricula in most American communities.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2026

At the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, she studied home economics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

She was described as "academically minded" with a flair for English, French, home economics and geography.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2025

His father was an art teacher, and his mother taught home economics, Ms. Kijner said.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2024

Once I learned how to use a sewing machine in Ms. Deeds’s home economics class, my imagination really took off.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023