homey
1 Americanadjective
noun
-
homeys,
plural
-
homies
plural
adjective
noun
Usage
What does homey mean? Homey is used to describe a place as cozy, comfortable, and inviting. It’s often used to describe a home that feels this way. You might discuss ways of making your place (or a particular room in it) more homey, typically by decorating it in a way that makes it cozier or more comfortable. Homey can also be used to describe a place that’s not a home but that’s comfortable and inviting like your own home, such as a hotel room, cozy restaurant, or nicely decorated office. Example: The new fireplace makes the living room feel so homey. Unrelatedly, homey is an alternative spelling of the noun homie, which is a slang term for a close friend. It can be used to refer to a friend, as in This is my homey Russel, or as a term of address for one, as in Hey, homey!Example: I’m having a night out with just me and my homeys.
Synonym Usage
See homely.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of homey1
First recorded in 1850–55; home + -y 1
Origin of homey2
First recorded in 1990–95
Vocabulary lists containing homey
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.
See Examples For:
Airbnb gained popularity for offering travelers unique and homey stays on other people’s property, but it added boutique hotel bookings to its platform late last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
"Calgary, where I'm from, feels a little less like homey than LA," McRae said.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
The unit, estimated at around 500 square feet, feels homey and is situated in the garden of a classic Spanish home occupied by an elderly woman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
Inside the homey dining room and open kitchen, Cho blends the South Korean flavors of his birthplace with the European techniques he mastered as a chef in New York City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
“You’ve made it very homey around here,” he said.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
I got fifteen or sixteen family members in Denver who owe Qwest money, doot-and I ain't even mentioned none of the homeys yet.
From Time Magazine Archive
All my friends who skate in Brazil, all my homeys, they go to work and only skate on the weekends, so it was fun-they were just psyched for me.
From Time Magazine Archive
Was it weird to go back and see your old homeys in Brazil after skating in Cali for a while?
From Time Magazine Archive
Riders usually schralp with the same group and coach all year, meaning the clocking of lots of good homeys and good times by closing day.
From Time Magazine Archive
Three of his skateboarding homeys were lined up beside him.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
“There are so many levels to us at this point: We are friends, we are lovers, we are homies, and most importantly, we are fathers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
“I doubt anyone is gonna speak for him. Ima verify with the homies too.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2023
UAW counsel Benjamin Dictor on Sunday morning posted on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter: "All my homies hate companies that won't agree to fair contracts for their workers."
From Reuters ● Oct. 29, 2023
Anita Herrera knows exactly what we all need: a carne asada with the homies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
Still, we’re just two homies from the hood getting to know each other.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
Battery-operated wall sconces, she says, are another inexpensive addition that can make an apartment feel homier.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
It was so much homier, so much more filling, so much more home-style than the other, oftentimes heinous lunch offerings.
From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2024
The softer light makes even the sparest of holiday décor feel homier.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
The homier entrees — fried chicken, pork schnitzel — call to me most, and if you like oysters, spring for the fried, raw and roasted Ruby Salts from the lower Eastern Shore of Virginia.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 20, 2023
This Motel 6 is in the latter category, which makes it homier, you might say, or maybe only more haunted.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
And homiest of all is the shop’s impressive, one might even say fanatical, collection of those aforementioned typewriters.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
The homiest of the lot are “Northwest,” an ode to the PNW, and a loving number about Clark’s grandmother titled “She Smoked in the House.”
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2023
Dasani’s housefather tries to soften the landing by making his homiest dish — lasagna.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2021
In a trolley car that is rumored to have driven the capital’s streets between 1894 and 1912, Luxury Diner serves the city’s heartiest and homiest breakfast and lunch.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 10, 2019
Before the new life comes the mother is absorbed in getting the home ready; the best and softest and homiest home that her mother-love can think of, and her fingers fix.
From Quiet Talks with World Winners by S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon
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