domestic

adjective

do·mes·tic | \ də-ˈmes-tik

Definition of domestic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : living near or about human habitations domestic vermin

b : tame, domesticated the domestic cat

2 : of, relating to, or originating within a country and especially one's own country domestic politics domestic wines domestic manufacturing all debts foreign and domestic

3 : of or relating to the household or the family domestic chores domestic happiness

4 : devoted to home duties and pleasures leading a quietly domestic life

5 : indigenous a domestic species

domestic

noun

Definition of domestic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a servant hired to work for a household Her grandmother worked as a domestic.

2 : an article (such as a rug or blanket) manufactured within one's own country or for use in a household : an article of domestic (see domestic entry 1 sense 2) manufacture —usually used in plural

Other Words from domestic Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about domestic

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Synonyms & Antonyms for domestic

Synonyms: Adjective

familial, household

Synonyms: Noun

daily [British], flunky (also flunkey), lackey, menial, retainer, servant, slavey, steward

Antonyms: Adjective

nondomestic, nonfamilial

Antonyms: Noun

master, mistress

Examples of domestic in a Sentence

Adjective

The company hopes to attract both foreign and domestic investors. the surest way to maintain domestic peace and harmony is to have everyone pitch in on chores

Noun

She got in a domestic with her husband. working as a team, the man and his wife hired themselves out as domestics for wealthy homeowners

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The two sales also show that wealthy buyers, foreign and domestic, remain willing to sink large sums into Manhattan real estate. — Josh Barbanel, WSJ, "Battle of the Penthouses Shows There’s Life in Luxury Market," 12 Dec. 2018 The company monitors its international and domestic charts and relies on a combination of humans and software to detect signs of fraud. — Ashley Carman, The Verge, "Gaming the Apple Podcast charts is cheaper and easier than you think," 29 Nov. 2018 Carmakers, both foreign and domestic, say such penalties would severely damage their lines of supply, interfere with exports and eventually force them to curtail operations in, of all places, Republican strongholds. — Jack Ewing, New York Times, "Trump Voters May Be the Biggest Losers From Trump’s Auto Tariffs," 3 July 2018 The pair hadn’t seen each other since May, when Carrillo sought asylum at the border, citing years of domestic abuse from her husband in Guatemala, and was separated from her daughter. — Jewel Wicker, Teen Vogue, "Penn Badgley Is Teaming Up With the Tahirih Justice Center to Help Vilma Carrillo, an Immigrant Mom Separated From Her Daughter," 21 Dec. 2018 Lindsay is also an advocate for victims of domestic violence, and in recent years has opened up about her own experience of growing up in a household marked by domestic abuse. — Emma Dibdin, Country Living, "Who Is Lindsay Wagner? Meet The Star of Hallmark's 'Mingle All The Way'," 1 Dec. 2018 Just like the original show never shied away from touching on controversial subjects like women’s rights and domestic abuse, the sequel will be no different. — Collier Sutter, House Beautiful, "Everything You Need To Know About The Designing Women Sequel," 5 Oct. 2018 China requires foreign tech firms that want to do business in the country to partner with domestic companies and share or license their intellectual property with those partners. — Klint Finley, WIRED, "Ex-Apple Employee Accused of Stealing Self-Driving Car Tech," 10 July 2018 Lyft is solely domestic, while Uber has stakes in companies like East Asia’s Didi and Southeast Asia’s Grab. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "Why Lyft had to beat Uber to an IPO filing," 6 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Most black Southerners were initially barred from receiving Social Security, for example, because farmworkers and domestics were not included. — Eric Schickler, Vox, "Debunking the myth that “identity politics” is bad for the Democratic Party," 21 Apr. 2018 The various domestics seasons will then begin their 2018/19 campaign in mid to late August. — SI.com, "Fixtures Announced: Man Utd, Real Madrid & Barcelona Among Giants Heading to USA for Huge 2018 ICC," 18 Apr. 2018 Local newspaper reporters would travel with the team, dine with the team and sometimes have one too many cold domestics with the team. — Amos Barshad, New York Times, "What Happens When Athletes Do the Sportswriting?," 21 Feb. 2018 Non-violent domestics, Rushton Road: Officers responded to a home at 11:30 p.m. Jan. 14 after a man reported his daughter, 18, had threatened him. — Andy Attina / Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Officers break up sibling fight in Taco Bell parking lot: South Euclid Police Blotter," 24 Jan. 2018 Most came from working-class black women, mainly domestics, who made up nearly 70% of the bus ridership. — Kirsten West Savali, The Root, "Rosa Parks, Recy Taylor and Gertrude Perkins Are Mothers of the #MeToo Movement," 8 Jan. 2018 Exotic woods like jatoba and tigerwood join the domestics of holly, walnut, birch and ash in details of the interior. — Anne Raup, Anchorage Daily News, "Rocket Man: Bill Guernsey and his Atomic Camper," 28 Sep. 2016 My grandparents were all domestics, and there's no shame in that. — Essence.com, "Natural Born Leader: Odyssey Media CEO Linda Spradley Dunn Is Making Sure Women Of Color Call The Shots," 30 Oct. 2017 But the flexibility of domestic as well as foreign customers is making gas production in the area more attractive to investors. — Lynn Cook, WSJ, "An Old Fracking Hot Spot Makes a Comeback," 17 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'domestic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near domestic

Statistics for domestic

Last Updated

11 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for domestic

The first known use of domestic was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for domestic

domestic

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of domestic

(Entry 1 of 2)

: of, relating to, or made in your own country

: relating to or involving someone's home or family

: relating to the work (such as cooking and cleaning) that is done in a person's home

domestic

noun

English Language Learners Definition of domestic (Entry 2 of 2)

: a servant who is hired to work in someone's home : a domestic servant

: a fight between members of a family or household

See the full definition for domestic in the English Language Learners Dictionary

domestic

adjective

do·mes·tic | \ də-ˈme-stik

Kids Definition of domestic

1 : relating to a household or a family domestic life

2 : relating to, made in, or done in a person's own country The president spoke about both foreign and domestic issues.

3 : living with or under the care of human beings : tame domestic animals

domestic

adjective

do·mes·tic | \ də-ˈmes-tik

Legal Definition of domestic

1 : of or relating to the household or family a domestic servant domestic relations — see also family court

2 : of, relating to, or originating within a country or state and especially one's own country or state the state has personal jurisdiction over domestic corporations — compare foreign, municipal