home

1 of 4

noun

plural homes
1
a
: one's place of residence : domicile
has been away from home for two weeks
a place to call home
b
: house
several homes for sale in the area
2
: the social unit formed by a family living together
trying to make a good home for their children
comes from a loving home
3
a
: a familiar or usual setting : congenial environment
also : the focus of one's domestic attention
home is where the heart is
b
: habitat
the home of the kangaroo
The island is home to many species of birds.
4
a
: a place of origin
salmon returning to their home to spawn
also : one's own country
having troubles at home and abroad
b
: headquarters sense 2
home of the dance company
5
: an establishment providing residence and care for people with special needs
homes for the elderly
6
: the objective in various games
especially : home plate

home

2 of 4

adverb

1
: to or at one's place of residence or home (see home entry 1 sense 1a)
told the dog to go home
stayed home all day
2
a
: to a final, closed, or ultimate position
drive a nail home
b
: to or at an ultimate objective (such as a goal or finish line)
fired the puck home
3
: to a vital sensitive core
the truth struck home

home

3 of 4

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or being a place of residence, place of origin, or base of operations
the company's home office
2
: prepared, done, or designed for use in a home (see home entry 1)
home remedies
home cooking
a home entertainment system
3
: operating or occurring in an area that is a headquarters or base of operations
the home team
home games

home

4 of 4

verb

homed; homing

intransitive verb

1
: to go or return to one's place of residence or origin : to go or return home (see home entry 1)
let us home
2
of an animal : to return accurately to one's native area of place of birth or origin from a distance : to return home
The salmon will home to spawn.
3
: to move to or toward an objective by following a signal or landmark
usually used with on or in
missiles homing in on a target
mariners … sought the dark spires of Oakland's redwoods to home onJ. W. Noble
4
: to proceed or direct attention toward an objective
science is homing in on the mysterious human processSam Glucksberg

transitive verb

: to send to or provide with a home
hidden pools and much wider creeks each of which homed its cranesI. L. Idriess
Phrases
at home
1
: relaxed and comfortable : at ease
felt completely at home on the stage
2
: in harmony with the surroundings
3
: on familiar ground : knowledgeable
teachers at home in their subject fields
home free
: out of jeopardy : in a comfortable position with respect to some objective

Examples of home in a Sentence

Noun Right now his home is a small apartment. People are concerned about protecting their homes. They have a second home on the lake. There's no place like home. I must have left my notes at home. She made a good home for her husband and children. The islands are home to many species of birds. Can you find homes for these files in your office? Adverb She called home to say she would be late for dinner. He's sending money home from a job overseas. She is on her way home. It's great to be back home. I can't wait to come home. He used a hammer to drive the nail home. Adjective She has a happy home life. Please give us your home phone number. What is your home address? The team opens its home season in just two weeks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Once ordered, the at-home tests will be shipped to homes for free. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024 The auction house in Paris relocated this year to the former home of the historic Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in the 8th arrondissement. Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2024
Adverb
The final straw seems to be the threat of returning home for SAT prep courses on a Sunday, but while Penelope’s decision to leave at that exact moment may be impulsive, her decision to leave in general has been long gestating. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2024 Following a brief break in the action, J. Cole picks up the proverbial baton, taking the song home with an epic verse that aligns with that of his costar. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 24 Sep. 2024
Adjective
Another caveat is that these two Minnesota markets are home to only about 7% of Wisconsin’s voters. Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2024 What’s more, the underwater mountain’s peaks, crags and ridges are home to coral gardens that host rare deep-dwelling octopuses, squids and creatures known as flying spaghetti monsters, some of which hadn’t been well documented before this research. Katie Hunt, CNN, 31 Aug. 2024
Verb
The release includes 22 styles in new, mix-and-match colorways that the former USC star likens to home and away uniforms for a golf trip – whether to a resort destination or a friend’s club. Erik Matuszewski, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024 Blais said Sun’s case shows federal investigators are homing in not just on foreign influence cases but specifically on the intersection of national security concerns and criminal law. Gloria Pazmino, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for home 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'home.' 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

Noun

Middle English hom, hoome "dwelling, building, one's native town or land," going back to Old English hām "landed property, estate, dwelling, house, inhabited place, native land," going back to Germanic *haima- "dwelling" (whence also Old Saxon & Old Frisian hēm "home, dwelling," Middle Dutch heem, heim "dwelling," Old High German heima "dwelling, homeland," Old Norse heimr "abode, land, this world," Gothic haims "village, countryside, [in compounds] home"), of uncertain origin

Note: A widely accepted etymology sees Germanic *haima- as going back to Indo-European *ḱoi-mo, an o-grade derivative, with a suffix *-mo-, of the verbal base *ḱei- "lie, be at rest." Also from *ḱoi-mo- would be an assumed Greek *koímē or *koîmos "bed," the source of the denominal derivative koimáō, koimân "to put to bed, lay to rest" (see cemetery); further associated are Lithuanian šeimà "family, household members (including servants)," Latvian sàime, Russian Church Slavic sěmĭ "person," sěmija, translating Greek andrápoda "prisoners of war sold as slaves," sěminŭ "slave, household member," Russian sem'já "family," Ukrainian sim'já. (Lithuanian kiẽmas "farmstead, village" and káimas "village" are perhaps related, via a form with a centum outcome of ḱ, or as a loanword from Germanic.) According to an alternative hypothesis, Germanic *haima- goes back to Indo-European *tḱoi̯-mo-, a derivative with *-mo- from Indo-European *tḱei̯- "dwell, inhabit" (in a more traditional representation *ḱþei̯-; see amphictyony). Directly comparable would be Sanskrit kṣémaḥ "habitable," kṣémaḥ or -am (noun) "calm, quiet, safety," which within Sanskrit are direct derivatives from kṣéti "(s/he) dwells." The Baltic and Slavic forms cited above would then be attributable to this form.

Adverb

Middle English hom, going back to Old English hām, probably from accusative of hām "dwelling, home entry 1" (with parallel forms in other Germanic languages)

Adjective

from attributive use of home entry 1

Verb

derivative of home entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1802, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of home was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near home

Cite this Entry

“Home.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/home. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

home

1 of 4 noun
1
a
: the house in which a person or family lives
2
: a family living together in one dwelling
3
: the place where something is usually or naturally found : habitat
the home of the elephant
4
a
: a place of origin
salmon returning to their home to spawn
b
: the country or place where one lives or where one's ancestors lived
5
: a place for the care of persons unable to care for themselves
old people's home
6
: the goal in some games
especially : home plate
homelike
-ˌlīk
adjective

home

2 of 4 adverb
1
: to or at home
went home
2
: to a final, closed, or standard position
drive a nail home
3
: deeply and meaningfully
the truth struck home

home

3 of 4 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or being a home
2
: prepared, done, or designed for use in a home
home cooking
3
: happening or operating in a home area
the home team

home

4 of 4 verb
homed; homing
1
: to go or return home
2
: to send to or provide with a home
Etymology

Noun

Middle English hom, from Old English hām "village, home"

Biographical Definition

Home 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈhyüm How to pronounce Home (audio)
ˈhōm
Sir Alec Douglas- 1903–1995 British prime minister (1963–64)

Home

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

William Douglas- 1912–1992 brother of Alec Douglas-Home British dramatist

More from Merriam-Webster on home

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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