homecoming
Americannoun
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a return to one's home; arrival at home.
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an annual event held by a college, university, or high school for visiting alumni.
noun
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the act of coming home
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an annual celebration held by a university, college, or school, for former students
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of homecoming
First recorded in 1325–75; 1930–35 homecoming for def. 2; Middle English homcomyng; replacing Middle English hamcume, Old English hāmcyme, from hām home + cyme “arrival”; see come, -ing 1
Explanation
When someone returns home in a celebratory way — from war, college, or a long trip, for example — they have a homecoming. If your brother works at sea as a fisherman for several months each year, your whole family might gather for his homecoming. Your homecoming after your first year at college might be a bit of a letdown, if you're expected to find a summer job immediately. A soldier's homecoming is almost always a relief for his or her family. In high school or college, homecoming is a reunion that often centers around an autumn football game and a dance or party. In the U.S., this type of homecoming has been around since the 1930s.
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:
His longing for homecoming and the care of his mother seem like recognizably human instincts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
It made up for missed teenage rites of passage — the senior prom, the homecoming dance, the debutante ball — by doubling down on sentimentality.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Something special occurs during Wolf Alice's big homecoming show at Finsbury Park.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Amos’ moody 1994 track about betrayal and shifting loyalties within female friendships doesn’t immediately suggest a homecoming sequence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
I grab a couple of books from my nightstand, knocking over a digital frame currently displaying a picture of David and me at homecoming.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Twenty captives were crossing over Israel’s border to jubilant homecomings, but Bipin wasn’t among them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
So, yes, to your earlier point, these last few visits to L.A. have been somewhat charged homecomings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
She and Chambers said they have remained close to the community, attending homecomings and making donations.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 4, 2023
The Wildcats faced four opposing homecomings this season, dropping decisions at Alabama A&M, Tennessee State and Prairie View A&M while spoiling Mississippi Valley State’s homecoming two weeks ago.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2022
Ben awoke and heard the unsteady voice of his father raised in a song that in the history of late-night homecomings was a traditional chant of warning.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
