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

The film weaves home videos, phone conversations, and more to create an intimate love letter addressed to the immigrant working class. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Nov. 2025

The film was a box office failure upon release but later became a cult classic through television and home video. —Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 6 Nov. 2025

Editor Zach Clark intercuts the intimate scenes between Aaron and Hank with home video footage of little boys smiling and playing. —Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025

After performing only modestly at the box office, the film, starring Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, found a cult fandom thanks to home video and cable reruns. —Keaton Bell, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 2