domicile

1 of 2

noun

do·​mi·​cile ˈdä-mə-ˌsī(-ə)l  ˈdō- 

ˈdä-mə-sil

variants or less commonly domicil

ˈdä-mə-səl 

1

: a dwelling place : place of residence : home

2

law

a

: a person's fixed, permanent, and principal home for legal purposes

Report your change of domicile.

b

business : residence sense 2b

domicile

2 of 2

verb

domiciled; domiciling

transitive verb

law

: to establish in or provide with a domicile

the state where the decedent was domiciled

Did you know?

Domicile Has Latin Roots

Domicile traces to Latin domus, meaning "home," and English speakers have been using it as a word for "home" since at least the 15th century. In the eyes of the law, a domicile can also be a legal residence, the address from which one registers to vote, licenses a car, and pays income tax. Wealthy people may have several homes in which they live at different times of the year, but only one of their homes can be their official domicile for all legal purposes.

Synonyms

Noun

• abode
• diggings
• dwelling
• fireside
• habitation
• hearth
• hearthstone
• home
• house
• lodging
• pad
• place
• quarters
• residence
• roof

Verb

• accommodate
• bestow
• billet
• bivouac
• board
• bunk
• camp
• chamber
• encamp
• harbor
• house
• lodge
• put up
• quarter
• roof
• room
• shelter
• take in

Examples of domicile in a Sentence

Noun

You will need to report your change of domicile to your insurance company.

Students must establish a domicile in the state to be eligible for reduced tuition.

Verb

the university domiciles students in a variety of buildings in and around its urban campus

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This double-decker domicile packs in upwards of 380 square feet of indoor space across its two levels. —Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Apr. 2025

Among various factors, the Act subjects individuals to the IHT based on residence in the UK for at least 10 of the last 20 years instead of the previous domicile test. —Priya Prakash Royal Esq. Ll.m. Mba Aep Tep, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Verb

The Federal Transfer Certificate is most commonly required for estates of nonresident aliens, individuals who are neither U.S. citizens nor domiciled in the U.S., who own U.S.-situs assets (e.g., U.S. real estate, stocks in U.S. corporations) at the time of death. —Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

The Trump administration’s lawyers have argued in recent court filings that birthright citizenship should extend to the children of noncitizens only if the parents are lawfully domiciled in the U.S., as Mr. Wong’s parents were at the time of his birth. —Amy Qin, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for domicile

• campanile
• chrysotile
• domicil
• mercantile
• neuropil
• nonpareil
• percentile
• peristyle
• reconcile
• thermopile
• aisle
• bile

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Kids Definition

domicile

1 of 2 noun

dom·​i·​cile

ˈdäm-ə-ˌsīl,

ˈdō-mə-;

ˈdäm-ə-səl

: a place to live : home

domicile

2 of 2 verb

domiciled; domiciling

: to establish in or provide with a place to live

Etymology

Noun

from early French domicile "place where one lives, home," from Latin domicilium (same meaning), from domus "house" — related to dome, domestic

Legal Definition

domicile

1 of 2 noun

do·​mi·​cile ˈdä-mə-ˌsīl, ˈdō- 

1

: the place where an individual has a fixed and permanent home for legal purposes

called also legal residence

2

: the place where an organization (as a corporation) is chartered or that is the organization's principal place of business compare citizenship, residence

Note: The domicile of an individual or organization determines the proper jurisdiction and venue for legal process. The courts of a person's domicile have personal jurisdiction. For persons lacking capacity (as minors), domicile is often statutorily determined as the domicile of the guardian.

domicile

2 of 2 transitive verb

domiciled; domiciling

: to establish in or provide with a domicile

an alien admitted to the United States for permanent residence shall be deemed a citizen of the State in which such alien is domiciled

—U.S. Code

any state in which a corporation is domiciled

—L. H. Tribe

Etymology

Noun

Latin domicilium dwelling place, home