homemade

[hohm-meyd]

adjective

1. made make or prepared at home, locally, or by the maker's own efforts.

   The restaurant's pastry is homemade. Breakfast at the farmhouse always meant homemade preserves.

2. made make in one's own country; domestic.

   I prefer a homemade car to one of those foreign models.

3. made, make, contrived, or assembled by oneself; not professionally made make or done; amateurish.

   the plain look of homemade furniture.

Word History and Origins

Origin of homemade¹

First recorded in 1650–60; home + made

Example Sentences

More shoppers are regifting or considering giving homemade gifts, the Deloitte survey found.

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And then there were train enthusiasts like an 11-year-old passenger, who was wearing a homemade California Zephyr shirt, a blue Amtrak baseball hat and a lanyard with collectible pins.

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With Mr. Jesso’s voice, we mostly hear potential, though the fragile intimacy of his delivery does have a certain homemade charm.

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Also the homemade Geller Cup, which includes a Troll doll, is a marvelous thing.

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My knife also became something of a conversation piece—friends I cooked for wanted to try it, drawing it from its homemade cover, crafted from old shoe boxes.

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Related Words

• handmade