home
noun
a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household.
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home
1 American
[hohm]
/ hoʊm /
noun
-
homes
plural
-
a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household.
- Synonyms:
- domicile, habitation, dwelling, abode
-
the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.
-
an institution for people who lack stable housing, who are sick or infirm, etc..
a nursing home;
a home for those with dementia.
- Synonyms:
- asylum
-
the dwelling place or retreat of an animal.
-
the place or region where something is native or most common.
-
any place of residence or refuge.
a heavenly home.
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a person's native place or own country.
-
a principal base of operations or activities.
The new stadium will be the home of the local football team.
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(in games) the destination or goal.
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Baseball. home plate.
-
Lacrosse. one of three attack positions nearest the opposing goal.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or connected with one's home or country.
home cooking;
the rising home demand for gasoline.
-
principal or main.
the corporation's home office.
-
reaching the mark aimed at.
a home thrust.
-
Sports. played in a ball park, arena, or the like, that is or is assumed to be the center of operations of a team.
The pitcher didn't lose a single home game all season.
adverb
-
to, toward, or at home.
to go home.
-
deep; to the heart.
The truth of the accusation struck home.
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to the mark or point aimed at.
He drove the point home.
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Nautical.
-
into the position desired; perfectly or to the greatest possible extent.
We radioed instructions to the crew, and the huge sails were sheeted home.
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in the proper, stowed position.
The anchor is home.
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toward its vessel.
to bring the anchor home.
-
verb (used without object)
-
homes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
homed,
past participle, past
-
homing
present participle
-
to navigate toward a point by means of coordinates other than those given by altitudes (often followed byon ).
This clever defensive technology prevented torpedoes from homing on the U-boat.
-
to go or return home.
Bees have the ability to learn visual landmarks and use them when foraging and homing.
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to have a home where specified; reside.
God now homes in the hearts of His people.
verb (used with object)
-
homes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
homed,
past participle, past
-
homing
present participle
-
to provide with a home.
After being microchipped and fully vaccinated, the puppy was homed with six weeks free insurance.
-
Computers.
-
to provide (a computer) with a network connection.
Each subscriber must be homed to a node in the network.
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to prepare (a 3D printer) for use by setting the horizontal and vertical limits for positioning the extruder before a printing task.
Do not try to do anything with your printer until you home it.
-
-
to provide a display or storage space for; house: The library homes a wide variety of resources for the avid gardener.
Adding lighting to the unit creates a stunning wall feature to home all your treasured possessions.
The library homes a wide variety of resources for the avid gardener.
-
to direct, especially under control of an automatic aiming device, toward an airport, target, etc..
The guidance system homed the missile on a target that was radar-illuminated by the launch aircraft.
-
to bring or send home.
verb phrase
idioms
-
home and dry, having safely achieved one's goal.
-
bring home to, to make evident to; clarify or emphasize for.
The irrevocability of her decision was brought home to her.
-
write home about, to comment especially on; remark on (usually used in the negative).
The town was nothing to write home about.
His cooking is really something to write home about.
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at home,
-
in one's own house or place of residence.
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in one's own town or country.
-
prepared or willing to receive social visits: We are always at home to her.
Tell him I'm not at home.
We are always at home to her.
-
in a situation familiar to one; at ease.
She has a way of making everyone feel at home.
-
to be at home in the classics.
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played in one's hometown or on one's own grounds.
The Yankees played two games at home and one away.
-
-
home free,
-
assured of finishing, accomplishing, succeeding, etc..
If we can finish more than half the work today, we'll be home free.
-
certain to be successfully finished, accomplished, secured, etc..
With most of the voters supporting it, the new law is home free.
-
Home
2
American
[hyoom]
/ hjum /
noun
home
1
British
/ həʊm /
noun
-
the place or a place where one lives
have you no home to go to?
-
a house or other dwelling
-
a family or other group living in a house or other place
-
a person's country, city, etc, esp viewed as a birthplace, a residence during one's early years, or a place dear to one
-
the environment or habitat of a person or animal
-
the place where something is invented, founded, or developed
the US is the home of baseball
-
-
a building or organization set up to care for orphans, the aged, etc
-
an informal name for a mental home
-
-
sport one's own ground
the match is at home
-
-
the objective towards which a player strives in certain sports
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an area where a player is safe from attack
-
-
lacrosse
-
one of two positions of play nearest the opponents' goal
-
a player assigned to such a position
inside home
-
-
baseball another name for home plate
-
informal Britain, esp England
-
a place other than one's own home where one can be at ease
-
-
in one's own home or country
-
at ease, as if at one's own home
-
giving an informal party at one's own home
-
such a party
-
-
familiar or conversant with
-
Austral. and NZ equivalent: home and hosed. informal definitely safe or successful
we will not be home and dry until the votes have been counted
-
concerning one deeply
adjective
-
of, relating to, or involving one's home, country, etc; domestic
-
(of an activity) done in one's house
home taping
-
effective or deadly
a home thrust
-
sport relating to one's own ground
a home game
-
central; principal
the company's home office
adverb
-
to or at home
I'll be home tomorrow
-
to or on the point
-
to the fullest extent
hammer the nail home
-
(of nautical gear) into or in the best or proper position
the boom is home
-
-
to make clear to
-
to place the blame on
-
-
nautical (of an anchor) to fail to hold
-
to become absolutely clear to
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informal to be of no particular interest
the film was nothing to write home about
verb
-
(intr) (of birds and other animals) to return home accurately from a distance
-
to direct or be directed onto a point or target, esp by automatic navigational aids
-
to send or go home
-
to furnish with or have a home
-
(intr; often foll by in or in on) to be directed towards a goal, target, etc
Home
2
British
/ hjuːm /
noun
home
More Idioms
Usage
See hone in ( def. ).
Synonym Usage
See house.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
homesimple
-
homessimple
-
have homedperfect
-
has homedperfect
-
am homingprogressive
-
are homingprogressive
-
is homingprogressive
-
have been homingperfect progressive
-
has been homingperfect progressive
Past
-
homedsimple
-
had homedperfect
-
was homingprogressive
-
were homingprogressive
-
had been homingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of home
First recorded before 900; noun and adverb; Middle English hom, Old English hām; cognate with Dutch heim, Old Norse heimr, Danish hjem, Swedish hem, German Heim “home,” Gothic haims “village”; akin to haunt
Explanation
Home is where you live: your house, apartment, or condo. It's also the place we feel most comfortable, loved, and protected — where we most feel at home. Home is many things to many people. It's the place you live, and the places you love: people might feel at home in a bookstore, a park, or certain cities. Old people live in nursing homes, and baseball players try to reach home plate. Animal shelters find homes for pets. Most people feel safe and happy at home, even if it's not perfect. It’s easy to find somewhere to live, but it’s tough to make a real home.
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:
I was headed to Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point in the contiguous U.S., and La Push on the Pacific Ocean, my home for the night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
His firm’s survey data shows Amazon has captured two-thirds of the U.S. market and that once families install smart speakers and other smart home devices, it is hard to get them to switch ecosystems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Later that year, she had multiple episodes of violent vomiting, causing her to stay home from work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
What were federal agents looking for in Omar’s home?
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026
At home, they didn't know he was leaving.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
The median size of lots nationally for single-family homes sold last year was roughly 8,500 square feet, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the National Association of Home Builders.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Home sales rose 1.5% from the month prior in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Home sales sank to the lowest level in 14 months, but the lack of demand pushed up the number of homes for sale up to nearly a 7-year high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Last month, Judge Alexia Durran, Chief Coroner of England and Wales, said she would write to the Home Secretary to recommend the inquests be converted into a public inquiry.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Mr. Morrison wasn’t back from Home Depot—which was a good thing, considering Lissa’s hysterical weeping.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
Local property taxes on homes are relatively small.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
From California to Massachusetts, they will decide on initiatives that could impact local housing markets and address the soaring cost of homes that have frustrated so many Americans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Home sales sank to the lowest level in 14 months, but the lack of demand pushed up the number of homes for sale up to nearly a 7-year high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Between the homes, a freeform pool curves through natural rock, hiding a grotto and a slide, with a shallow ledge for lounging and an elevated spa,” according to the listing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
You and Papa lost your jobs; our neighbours lost their homes.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The paper's cartoon has also homed in on skyrocketing fuel costs, joking that staff at the pump "don't care what diesel cost when you started driving".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Lacks-Kelly says his team has homed in on 27 of the country's worst offenders for hare coursing and all but five of them have links to organised crime.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The company has homed in on this demographic by expanding its traditional deals for Southern California locals to all residents of the Golden State for a period earlier this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
In a conversation with the Bulwark’s Tim Miller immediately following Spanberger’s response, Buttigieg pointed out Americans’ anxieties surrounding affordability and homed in on a way to call out the GOP’s hypocrisy.
From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2026
It was another turtle, a homed turtle of enormous size, its dark green shell mottled with brown and overgrown with water moss and crusty black river molluscs.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
“Buyers from around the country — especially Texas, Vegas, Arizona and L.A. — are homing in on Orange County.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Researchers are homing in on every part of the construction process, from the emissions produced by cement mixing to the impact of shipping materials to a job site—for example, steel beams coming from Pennsylvania.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Instead Zhao's dominance ensured that never materialised against a player he is homing in on at the top of the world rankings - moving up to fourth, with his fourth title of a trophy-laden campaign.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
But homing in on the annoying and self-defeating aspects of it misses the real story of how the movement changed American society, and the world, for the better—and how Lindy West did too.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026
If you wore special glasses you could see them spinning through the sky among the bats and homing birds—blondes, wars, famines, football, food shows, coups d’ etat, hairstyles stiff with hair spray.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions 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.
