domestic

1 of 2

adjective

do·​mes·​tic də-ˈme-stik How to pronounce domestic (audio)
1
a
: 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
domestically adverb

domestic

2 of 2

noun

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

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 couple hired themselves out as domestics for wealthy homeowners
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In the movie, innocuous-seeming domestic equipment — from the humble suitcase to floor sweeping robots — run quietly amok. Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023 Now, eastern coyotes, which predominate in states along the East Coast, spanning from Maine to Georgia and as far west as Ohio and West Virginia, have genomes that are, on average, 62 percent western coyote, 27 percent wolf, and 11 percent domestic dog. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023 North Korea, which bought licenses for Soviet weaponry in the 1960s, quickly began producing weapons at a huge scale not only for its considerable domestic demand following the Korean War armistice but also for international trade. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023 Sayers and others may have been better novelists, but Christie’s palette was uniquely vast and surprisingly fearless — from deeply domestic village murders to international conspiracies, often designed to remind us that the threat of fascism is always with us. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023 The average domestic ticket price has dropped by about $87 a ticket as summer demand wanes going into the slower fall travel season, according to travel company Hopper. Alexandra Skores, Dallas News, 13 Sep. 2023 Despite international sanctions and domestic economic hardship, North Korea operates one of the world’s largest standing armies and a vigorous defense industry. Paul Sonne, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023 And operating overseas bases exposes Beijing to other security risks, including becoming drawn into domestic conflicts in host countries. Brad Lendon, CNN, 2 Sep. 2023 The Department of Transportation reported that domestic airlines transported 188,223 animals last year, of which seven died. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2023
Noun
Yet many domestics appear basically indistinguishable from wildcats. Jonathan Losos, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023 His father was a shipping clerk for Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and his mother worked as a domestic. Adam Bradley, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023 In his 2020 memoir Let Love Rule, Lenny wrote that Roxie was raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, by her father Albert Roker, a Bahamian immigrant, and her mother, who was born in Georgia and worked as a domestic. Charlotte Walsh, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2023 Wiley claimed that the detainee in question was kin to one of his domestics. Time, 29 July 2023 Friday's happy hour specials include $3.50 domestics, $3.75 imports, $4.25 small house margaritas, $4.50 large rail drinks, $5 Cazadores Reposado and Patron Silver shots, and $6 Don Julio Blanco shots. Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 4 May 2023 The Beretta manages to look both overstyled and too plain inside, and all the domestics position the driver deep in the car behind a high cowl. Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2023 Andrej was a manual laborer; Julia a domestic. Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, 1 June 2020 Small, isolated groups of Oriental domestics gradually acquired distinctive coat colors and other mutations through a process known as genetic drift, in which traits that are neither beneficial nor maladaptive become fixed in a population. Andrew C. Kitchener, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'domestic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Middle French domestique, from Latin domesticus, from domus — see dome entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near domestic

Cite this Entry

“Domestic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/domestic. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

domestic

1 of 2 adjective
do·​mes·​tic də-ˈmes-tik How to pronounce domestic (audio)
1
a
: living near or about the places where human beings live
domestic vermin
b
: living with or under the care of human beings : tame
a domestic cat
2
: of, relating to, made in, or done in one's own country
domestic steel
3
: of or relating to a household or family
domestic chores
domestically adverb

domestic

2 of 2 noun
: a household servant
Etymology

Adjective

from early French domestique "living around humans, domestic," from Latin domesticus (same meaning), from domus "house" — related to dome, domicile

Legal Definition

domestic

adjective
do·​mes·​tic də-ˈmes-tik How to pronounce domestic (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on domestic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!