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

Derived 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.

Pupils currently have to learn home economics on rotation, something which has happened with other subjects in the past.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Collins taught home economics in high school and math in junior high before she transitioned into politics, elected clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1975 and then lieutenant governor in 1979.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

“It doesn’t,” replied Ms. Martin, who is also a Republican and taught home economics for 18 years at the Pittsburg School down the road.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024

Dorcas Reilly, who was one of the first full-time members of Campbell’s home economics department, took the challenge in stride.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2023

Leo wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or insulted that the combat trainer was interrogating Frank, while Leo got the home economics teacher.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

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