homework
Americannoun
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schoolwork assigned to be done outside the classroom (distinguished from classwork ).
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a single assignment of such schoolwork: Homeworks are due at the beginning of class.
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thorough preparatory study of a subject.
to do one's homework for the next committee meeting.
noun
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school work done out of lessons, esp at home
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any preparatory study
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work done at home for pay
Etymology
Origin of homework
Explanation
Any assignment you're expected to complete after school and bring back to class the next day is called homework. Many students make up excuses for not having their homework done. The "My dog ate my homework" excuse doesn't work so well in the digital age. High school students typically have a lot of homework most days, and often that's true for younger students as well. In college, an increasing amount of school work is done outside of class, as homework (even if you do it in the library, a cafe, or a dorm). Homework originally referred to any work done at home, including cooking and cleaning. The first example of the "school work" meaning dates from the late 1880s.
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.
He sketched an idea on the back of his nine-year-old daughter's homework, he says, and soon showed it to an architect, partly expecting him to "laugh me out of the room".
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Some say they use it to explore a topic or to help drill for exams, while others want the unfiltered ChatGPT to do their homework for them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Doyle said he wished books could be presented to young people in a way that doesn't "automatically feel like homework".
From BBC • May 31, 2026
Until then, Nigerian Henrietta Henry, who describes her first ever visit to LAX as "hell," has one piece of advice for fans this summer: "Do your homework."
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
“That’s right. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I’ve got lots of homework I should be working on right now.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
