home video

noun

plural home videos

1

: a homemade video (see video entry 1 sense 1) that is not usually intended for commercial release or distribution

We showed our friends home videos of our vacation in the Caribbean.

People are consuming millions of hours of shaky, selfie-quality home video on their phones every day.

—Karen Bussone

… make a home video, using a cell phone or camera, of yourself performing your selection.

—The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, North Carolina)

2

: prerecorded video (see video entry 1 sense 1a) marketed for home viewing

The popular TV series … returns to home video with the DVD and Blu-ray releases of … Season Three.

—Mike Spring

It's not clear when other [streaming] platforms will add season four, but it usually takes several months for new seasons to receive a home video release …

—Business Insider US

Examples of home video in a Sentence

the latest releases in home video

We watched a home video of their wedding.

Recent Examples on the Web

Criterion, which has long put out high-end home video editions of Anderson’s work and recently issued a 20-disc box set, will also have a special presence at the Bowl. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

After Universal pulled the M3GAN spinoff Soulm8te from its release calendar, Blumhouse Atomic Monster is sending the AI sci-fi thriller straight to home video. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026

Director Curry Barker’s Obsession, starring Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston, is already developing a huge audience on streaming, just days after the indie horror movie blockbuster made its home video debut. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Gkids has long handled Ghibli distribution in North America across theatrical, home video, digital and streaming. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 2