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Synonyms

stay-at-home

American  
[stey-uht-hohm] / ˈsteɪ ətˌhoʊm /

adjective

  1. not inclined to travel or seek diversions or pastimes outside one's residence, area, or country.

  2. of or relating to time spent at home.

    a stay-at-home evening.

noun

  1. a person who stays at home a good deal; a person not inclined to travel; homebody.

stay-at-home British  

adjective

  1. (of a person) enjoying a quiet, settled, and unadventurous use of leisure

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a stay-at-home person

  2. a person who does not bother to vote in a political election

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of stay-at-home

First recorded in 1800–10

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.

At 37, I’m quitting my $165,000 job to be a stay-at-home dad.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Struggling with headaches and insomnia, she found her voice on public television, and created a daily ritual for millions of stay-at-home moms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Born in central Denmark to a stay-at-home mother and a father who was an accountant, he trained to be a lawyer before entering parliament in 1994.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

The son of an accountant father and a stay-at-home mom, Godoy is the first person in his family to pursue a life in entertainment.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

But even the deafest and most stay-at-home began to hear queer tales; and those whose business took them to the borders saw strange things.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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.