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
More than 300,000 homes and businesses in California were without power for days while crews scrambled to reconnect them. Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024 Weiman says Palestinians are now forced to take long, circuitous routes just to go between home and work. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024 Yet, the process of buying a home has withstood many similar changes. John Towfighi, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 Thanks to all the artists, writers, curators, publicists and institutional leaders who collectively welcomed me to their studios, homes, offices and exhibitions, answering my questions, tolerating my incessant follow-up emails and even chewing me out at a fancy museum dinner. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024 In recent days armed groups have looted and pillaged businesses and private homes and launched assaults against the main ports and airports in the capital, leading several embassies and the United Nations to evacuate non-essential personnel. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024 Neighboring homes were evacuated as a safety precaution. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2024 Most homes and businesses in the city, which has a population of about 90,800, lost electricity Saturday morning, police said in a series of alerts Saturday morning on X, formerly known as Twitter. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 Mar. 2024 Deputies were told Gainer was assaulting family members and had smashed a window at the family home. Brian Day, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Up next: The Current return home to CPKC Stadium on Saturday, facing Angel City FC at 2:30 p.m. Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024 The Panthers are back home vs. the Bruins on Tuesday in what could be a battle for the East lead. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024 Also at the Junos, Canada’s version of the Grammys, on Sunday night, Charlotte Cardin took home the prize for best album of the year for 99 Nights. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2024 This hit home with our critic Bill Addison’s list of 10 Italian spots in L.A. from the most recent 101 Best Restaurants guide. Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024 However, the following day the family of nine was back home, grilling steaks and watching movies as a family. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 However, some royals watchers began to voice concern about Middleton’s whereabouts in early February, shortly after the princess returned home to Windsor following a stay in the hospital. Sam Reed, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2024 After a nearly 49-hour police search, Russell returned home and said she had been abducted, held hostage and escaped her captors. Maxime Tamsett, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 Students whose parents elected to keep them home for the day did not have the absence counted against them. Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The damage was confined to a single apartment unit whose occupants — two adults and one child — were not home when the explosion occurred, Thompson said. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024 The Buckeye State doesn't always get the best rap as an exciting place to visit, but the state is actually home to plenty of unique and charming small towns worth checking out. The Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2024 California is already home to some of the highest energy costs in the country, and those prices are only expected to rise as the state powers more of its economy with clean electricity. Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 12 Feb. 2024 Gift opening A couple of daughters are home for the holidays, and their parents (Johnson, McKinnon) appreciate having them back - and bringing their boyfriends. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2023 Mayors Step Down From the Bench After WVUE, ProPublica Ask About Court Revenue Most of the 13 towns identified by the news organizations are home to just a few hundred people. Samantha Sunne, ProPublica, 14 Dec. 2023 The island's streets are home to wandering roosters, who are usually ready for a photo op (from a distance), and who also provide inspiration for local art found throughout the island. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2023 While the mother was not home when the incident took place, the NOFD found two of the children — a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy — upon entry to the home. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 19 Oct. 2023 The Canadian Rocky and Columbia Mountains are home to both grizzly and black bears, according to Parks Canada. Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2023
Verb
Oakland’s Cat Town was inspired by Ann Dunn, an Oakland animal shelter volunteer, who launched it as a fostering program based loosely on the concept of Japan’s cat cafes, group cat homes that people can visit. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 Plotts don’t have enough nose, and the 30 or so Kibler has owned over the years were weak in homing instinct. Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 1 Feb. 2024 That gives Brienne Allan, the brewmaster and president, the ability to really home in and perfect the recipes. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2024 An arrow combined with the eye of a batlike enemy might track enemies like a homing missile. Zachary Small, New York Times, 4 May 2023 The Air Force plans to spend $320 million buying 1,500 units of the 204-pound munition, designed to home in on moving ground targets regardless of weather conditions or time of day. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 9 Apr. 2023 Times like these provide an opportunity to home in on customers’ individual goals, values and motivations. Camille Nicita, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 Joy Fitzgerald, who just began her role at UnitedHealth but has also served in similar positions at Eli Lilly, wants to leverage the breadth of her experience and the data-gathering power of a health care giant with UnitedHealth's reach in order to home in on weak links in the medical supply chain. Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, 17 June 2021 This perverse programming created a Salmonella strain that could home in on the anoxic core of tumors, grow to high density, and release a highly localized dose of anti-tumor drug. Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2017

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 28 Mar. 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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