a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household.
the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.
an institution for people who lack stable housing, who are sick or infirm, etc..
a nursing home;
a home for those with dementia.
the dwelling place or retreat of an animal.
the place or region where something is native or most common.
any place of residence or refuge.
a heavenly home.
a person's native place or own country.
a principal base of operations or activities.
The new stadium will be the home of the local football team.
(in games) the destination or goal.
Baseball. home plate.
Lacrosse. one of three attack positions nearest the opposing goal.
of, relating to, or connected with one's home or country.
home cooking;
the rising home demand for gasoline.
principal or main.
the corporation's home office.
reaching the mark aimed at.
a home thrust.
Sports. played in a ball park, arena, or the like, that is or is assumed to be the center of operations of a team.
The pitcher didn't lose a single home game all season.
to, toward, or at home.
to go home.
deep; to the heart.
The truth of the accusation struck home.
to the mark or point aimed at.
He drove the point home.
Nautical.
into the position desired; perfectly or to the greatest possible extent.
We radioed instructions to the crew, and the huge sails were sheeted home.
in the proper, stowed position.
The anchor is home.
toward its vessel.
to bring the anchor home.
to navigate toward a point by means of coordinates other than those given by altitudes (often followed byon ).
This clever defensive technology prevented torpedoes from homing on the U-boat.
to go or return home.
Bees have the ability to learn visual landmarks and use them when foraging and homing.
to have a home where specified; reside.
God now homes in the hearts of His people.
to provide with a home.
After being microchipped and fully vaccinated, the puppy was homed with six weeks free insurance.
Computers.
to provide (a computer) with a network connection.
Each subscriber must be homed to a node in the network.
to prepare (a 3D printer) for use by setting the horizontal and vertical limits for positioning the extruder before a printing task.
Do not try to do anything with your printer until you home it.
to provide a display or storage space for; house: The library homes a wide variety of resources for the avid gardener.
Adding lighting to the unit creates a stunning wall feature to home all your treasured possessions.
The library homes a wide variety of resources for the avid gardener.
to direct, especially under control of an automatic aiming device, toward an airport, target, etc..
The guidance system homed the missile on a target that was radar-illuminated by the launch aircraft.
to bring or send home.
home and dry, having safely achieved one's goal.
bring home to, to make evident to; clarify or emphasize for.
The irrevocability of her decision was brought home to her.
write home about, to comment especially on; remark on (usually used in the negative).
The town was nothing to write home about.
His cooking is really something to write home about.
at home,
in one's own house or place of residence.
in one's own town or country.
prepared or willing to receive social visits: We are always at home to her.
Tell him I'm not at home.
We are always at home to her.
in a situation familiar to one; at ease.
She has a way of making everyone feel at home.
to be at home in the classics.
played in one's hometown or on one's own grounds.
The Yankees played two games at home and one away.
home free,
assured of finishing, accomplishing, succeeding, etc..
If we can finish more than half the work today, we'll be home free.
certain to be successfully finished, accomplished, secured, etc..
With most of the voters supporting it, the new law is home free.
the place or a place where one lives
have you no home to go to?
a house or other dwelling
a family or other group living in a house or other place
a person's country, city, etc, esp viewed as a birthplace, a residence during one's early years, or a place dear to one
the environment or habitat of a person or animal
the place where something is invented, founded, or developed
the US is the home of baseball
a building or organization set up to care for orphans, the aged, etc
an informal name for a mental home
sport one's own ground
the match is at home
the objective towards which a player strives in certain sports
an area where a player is safe from attack
lacrosse
one of two positions of play nearest the opponents' goal
a player assigned to such a position
inside home
baseball another name for home plate
informal Britain, esp England
a place other than one's own home where one can be at ease
in one's own home or country
at ease, as if at one's own home
giving an informal party at one's own home
such a party
familiar or conversant with
Austral. and NZ equivalent: home and hosed. informal definitely safe or successful
we will not be home and dry until the votes have been counted
concerning one deeply
of, relating to, or involving one's home, country, etc; domestic
(of an activity) done in one's house
home taping
effective or deadly
a home thrust
sport relating to one's own ground
a home game
central; principal
the company's home office
to or at home
I'll be home tomorrow
to or on the point
to the fullest extent
hammer the nail home
(of nautical gear) into or in the best or proper position
the boom is home
to make clear to
to place the blame on
nautical (of an anchor) to fail to hold
to become absolutely clear to
informal to be of no particular interest
the film was nothing to write home about
(intr) (of birds and other animals) to return home accurately from a distance
to direct or be directed onto a point or target, esp by automatic navigational aids
to send or go home
to furnish with or have a home
(intr; often foll by in or in on) to be directed towards a goal, target, etc
See hone in ( def. ).
See house.
First recorded before 900; noun and adverb; Middle English hom, Old English hām; cognate with Dutch heim, Old Norse heimr, Danish hjem, Swedish hem, German Heim “home,” Gothic haims “village”; akin to haunt
Home is where you live: your house, apartment, or condo. It's also the place we feel most comfortable, loved, and protected — where we most feel at home. Home is many things to many people. It's the place you live, and the places you love: people might feel at home in a bookstore, a park, or certain cities. Old people live in nursing homes, and baseball players try to reach home plate. Animal shelters find homes for pets. Most people feel safe and happy at home, even if it's not perfect. It’s easy to find somewhere to live, but it’s tough to make a real home.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What would it feel like if the court took seriously the idea that the American public can foment and lobby and birth constitutional meaning in their own home kitchens?
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
During publicity for the album, the musician has admitted the atmosphere at home could be stifling.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The next pitch, a forkball, got past catcher Dalton Rushing, and Domínguez raced home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
India is home to thousands of seafarers who work on ships around the world, often for months at a time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
When Don Quixote recovered, it was time to go home.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Home to more than 115,000 residents, Manshiyet Nasser is a predominantly Coptic Christian neighbourhood nestled beneath the Mokattam hill and facing Cairo's historic Citadel.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
As venture capital has evolved, one investing truism remains: Home runs usually result from contrarian bets, rather than from diversifying a portfolio or chasing a hot sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Home Office and the Green Party have been contacted for comment about Polanski's comments.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
A flamingo windchime and a decorative piece of art from Guadalajara, Mexico hang in front of the entrance of the home of Flamingo Garden Mobile Home Park resident Mariano Silverio Mendoza in Carson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
"This is jail. Home is where you're looked after by people who love you."
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
Data centers are driving up energy prices, mobile homes might become more affordable, and…what’s up with the South Korean stock market?
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
“Jurisdictions that remain out of compliance with our Housing Element Law are standing in the way of the homes Californians need.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
This summer's World Cup action has played out in homes, pubs and fan parks across the UK.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“When you have 900 fires burning simultaneously, the ones that get the greatest attention are those closest to communities, homes or critical infrastructure.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Up Reisterstown the houses grow closer and closer together until they transition from freestanding homes to row houses, and then from row houses three windows wide to just two.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
In a conversation with the Bulwark’s Tim Miller immediately following Spanberger’s response, Buttigieg pointed out Americans’ anxieties surrounding affordability and homed in on a way to call out the GOP’s hypocrisy.
From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2026
A social media-led boycott has homed in on Lifetouch, the photography company hired by thousands of U.S. schools each year to take portraits of students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
As the State Bar homed in on the problems with Meazure Learning, deans of some of California’s top law schools noted that the issues were not confined to the technology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2025
The National Centre is now the largest breeder of assistance dogs in the world, with guide dog mums-to-be are homed by volunteers within an hour's drive away.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2024
He had found the knot, the tension node, and he homed in on it with a practiced knuckle.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
“Buyers from around the country — especially Texas, Vegas, Arizona and L.A. — are homing in on Orange County.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Instead Zhao's dominance ensured that never materialised against a player he is homing in on at the top of the world rankings - moving up to fourth, with his fourth title of a trophy-laden campaign.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
But homing in on the annoying and self-defeating aspects of it misses the real story of how the movement changed American society, and the world, for the better—and how Lindy West did too.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026
They equipped astrocytes, a common type of brain cell, with a CAR homing device that allows the cells to latch onto specific targets and destroy them.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
“I used Nansi’s divine magics to save you. Which means that the god now has a homing beacon. One that shows him exactly where we are.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
