homework
Americannoun
-
schoolwork assigned to be done outside the classroom (distinguished from classwork ).
-
a single assignment of such schoolwork: Homeworks are due at the beginning of class.
-
thorough preparatory study of a subject.
to do one's homework for the next committee meeting.
noun
-
school work done out of lessons, esp at home
-
any preparatory study
-
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.
Instead, the young band just returned from dazzling audiences at Las Vegas’ Sick New World Festival and is focused on the release of its debut album — homework be damned.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
His first turn behind the camera is a project 20 years in the making, based on an idea which started out as a homework project for his daughter.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
"It doesn't feel like homework, but it's also nourishing and you want to talk to your friends about it afterwards."
From BBC • May 13, 2026
But all of that says little about this film’s take on the pop machine, other than that Lowery did his homework to perfect an aesthetic.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
I would stay and help, but I have homework, and Mom and Dad will freak if I’m home late.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
