homecoming

[ hohm-kuhm-ing ]

/ ˈhoʊmˌkʌm ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR homecoming ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a return to one's home; arrival at home.

an annual event held by a college, university, or high school for visiting alumni.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

homeboy, homebred, homebuilder, homebuilding, homebuyer, homecoming, homegirl, homegrown, homeland, homeland security, homelands movement

Origin of homecoming

1325–75; 1930–35 for def 2; Middle English homcomyng; replacing Middle English hamcume, Old English hāmcyme, equivalent to hām home + cyme arrival; see come, -ing¹

Related forms

home·com·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for homecoming

The Temple University concert represented something of a homecoming for Coltrane.
What if Jazz Giant John Coltrane Had Lived?|Ted Gioia|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His homecoming is breezily explained at the start of the episode.
The Return of New Girl’s Coach…and of Faith in the Still-Great Comedy|Kevin Fallon|November 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For Lennon, who had not set foot in Britain for nine years, there must have been something of a homecoming feel to the experience.
How John Lennon Rediscovered His Music in Bermuda|The Telegraph|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The girl's 21-year-old elder sister told The Daily Beast: "We are going to have a big party tonight to celebrate her homecoming."
Blonde Child Reunited With Roma Family After Irish Police Blunder|Tom Sykes|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST

How did the Marines you interviewed describe the homecoming process?
A Troubled Iraq War Vet Returns Home in Roxana Robinson’s ‘Sparta’|Jane Ciabattari|June 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The well-known thought first flickered back into Charles's mind on the third day of his homecoming.
Angela's Business|Henry Sydnor Harrison
Grace would undoubtedly go to the old tavern to prepare for the homecoming.
Keziah Coffin|Joseph C. Lincoln
Dear me, no one ever saw such a homecoming in their life before as that of mine that day!
Young Tom Bowling|J.C. Hutcheson
All the sadness surrounding her homecoming could not keep out the sweet feeling of being back that stole through her senses.
Fidelity|Susan Glaspell
Believe me, Mother, this homecoming will take place just as I have described it.
The Eyes of Asia|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for homecoming

homecoming

/ (ˈhəʊmˌkʌmɪŋ) /

noun

the act of coming home

US an annual celebration held by a university, college, or school, for former students

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