homecoming

noun

home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkə-miŋ 

1

: a return home

a soldier's homecoming

2

: the return of a group of people usually on a special occasion to a place formerly frequented or regarded as home

especially : an annual celebration for alumni at a high school, college, or university

—often used before another noun

a homecoming rally

homecoming weekend

the annual homecoming game/dance

was elected the homecoming queen

Examples of homecoming in a Sentence

A large crowd gathered at the airport for the soldiers' homecoming.

Recent Examples on the Web

For Bass, who moved to Nashville in 2020 after abandoning college softball to pursue music full-time, Saturday’s homecoming set is a milestone in a career that seems to be building momentum. —Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 18 July 2024

Wingate was getting down to the wire for filming the Halloween homecoming scenes — where Sam is going to meet up with her internet crush Austin for the first time in person — and desperately needed two of the same dress, so Duff and her stunt double would be ready to go. —Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024

Saturday’s game was a homecoming for the Bananas’ Danny Hosley and the Firefighters’ South Trimble, both of whom ended their college baseball careers at George Mason. —Scott Allen, Washington Post, 14 July 2024

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still has no memory of what happened during those months. —Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 11 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

homecoming

noun

home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkəm-ing 

1

: a return home

2

a

: the return of a group of people usually on a special occasion to a place formerly frequented

b

: a yearly celebration for alumni at a school