homemade
Americanadjective
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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.
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made in one's own country; domestic.
I prefer a homemade car to one of those foreign models.
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made, contrived, or assembled by oneself; not professionally made or done; amateurish.
the plain look of homemade furniture.
Etymology
Origin of homemade
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.
Vocabulary lists containing homemade
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.
Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk showed his talents for entrepreneurship early, going door-to-door with his brother selling homemade chocolate Easter eggs and developing his first computer game at the age of 12.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
His homemade videos helped expand the Backrooms online mythology that derives its scares from the exploration of creepy empty spaces.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
As Debbie sat at the register inside, helping a steady flow of the shop’s final patrons, protesters gathered behind the building, clutching homemade posters and waiting for Jeremy to speak.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 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
They didn't stop talking when I walked near, and they didn't make fun of my homemade clothing.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
