stay-at-home
Americanadjective
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not inclined to travel or seek diversions or pastimes outside one's residence, area, or country.
-
of or relating to time spent at home.
a stay-at-home evening.
noun
adjective
noun
-
a stay-at-home person
-
a person who does not bother to vote in a political election
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.
His decision not to enforce the state’s stay-at-home order turned him into a national figure.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Even stay-at-home mothers, like my mum, who has never been interested in the stock market, are now interested."
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
One way to structure the provision is to have the working spouse set aside money that would reflect the stay-at-home parent’s previous salary, as well as 3% to 5% annual raises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
That’s the Appalachian landscape that Baurichter, a writer and stay-at-home mother in Higginsport, yearned to return to after a stint in Cincinnati for college.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Just because maybe these women have stayed here in Clover City or have become stay-at-home moms or cashiers doesn’t mean you can deem their entire lives outside of the pageant a waste.”
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
