homecoming
Americannoun
-
a return to one's home; arrival at home.
-
an annual event held by a college, university, or high school for visiting alumni.
noun
-
the act of coming home
-
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:
Calvin Harris's Scottish homecoming show at Hampden Park in Glasgow next month will be broadcast live on the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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
As Rowsell noted at the start of this homecoming concert: "The time is now."
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The startup is a homecoming of sorts for Faricy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Z ducked low to get under a fallen beam and hurried down the hall, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the homecoming queen was following.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
Over the years, Chinatowns have offered me ephemeral homecomings in city after city without demanding that I make my home there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
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
Her homecomings once brought the comfort of movie nights and card games, but this year was different.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
Perhaps the biggest highlights of the schedule will be quarterback homecomings.
From Washington Post ● May 12, 2022
He wrote letters from New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago full of promises of homecomings, but there was obviously something wrong.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
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.
