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• at-home
  at-home

  noun

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

  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.

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

See Examples For:

at-home at home

Here are three easy, at-home balance tests that Teater suggests, demonstrated by Los Angeles Times staffer Jazmin Alvarado Villegas, along with a short questionnaire to help get you started.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Initiatives including A&E blood tests, GP registration testing and free at-home tests have helped to find people who were previously undiagnosed, says NHS England.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Some applicants even send videos of at-home science projects, which can bring their application to life, said Johanna Araujo, the fraud squad’s leader.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

You could purchase a hybrid life insurance and long-term-care policy for around $100,000 to $200,000, leaving you the funds to cover at-home care if you needed it down the road.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

After he lost his job and was the more at-home parent, Dad still made us feel like any ride he gave us was a huge deal.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Woad's compatriot and potential partner Charley Hull believes it can be tougher playing at home.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

As he fled the officers, he alerted his friends at home, who called 911.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

"The immigrant community was in hiding, staying at home, fearing for their safety, fearing for the separation of their families," she told a press conference.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

She offers her own example: Last winter, one of her students had a bed bug situation at home.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

When I came out of the bathroom, someone had made themselves at home in my easy chair.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

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