homemade

American  

[hohm-meyd] / ˈhoʊmˈmeɪd /

adjective

1. made 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 in one's own country; domestic.

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

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

   the plain look of homemade furniture.

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Etymology

Origin of homemade

First recorded in 1650–60; home + made

Explanation

Something that's homemade is created by a real person, usually in their own house, rather than being mass-produced. Your dad's homemade apple pie is the best you've ever tasted. Your famous homemade chocolate chip cookies are likely to be a bigger hit at the bake sale than a box of ginger snaps dumped on a plate. And the homemade sweater you got for your birthday might be a little itchy, but it's special because your aunt lovingly knitted it herself, using yarn in your favorite color. Homemade things aren't just made at home — they're also usually made with more care than goods produced in factories.

Example Sentences

The siblings concocted complex lineages and histories for their countries, writing Angrian and Gondalian tales and verse in tiny homemade books.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Back at the stall, customers sample a homemade mango lassi, a traditional yoghurt-based drink.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Nothing says “I love you” like a homemade dessert, which is why it’s an absolute necessity this Mother’s Day weekend.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

Arm Holdings, for instance, fell nearly 10% on Thursday even though it nearly doubled its homemade chip revenue forecast when it reported earnings.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

It doesn’t have red carpets and chandeliers, but Jade managed to put up the string lights and some homemade curtains, and it’s looking pretty fancy.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

Related Words

• handmade