homecoming

noun

home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkə-miŋ How to pronounce homecoming (audio)
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 The rapper will headline New York’s Madison Square Garden on May 21 and will host a grand homecoming in Houston on June 14. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 From Alexa to Zawe, all Londoners bright and beautiful descended on Ladbroke Hall tonight to celebrate the homecoming – and landmark debut issue – of British Vogue’s Chioma Nnadi. Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 This homecoming is personal not just for Jake, but also for show creator J.T. Rogers. Christian Holub, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 The tour was set to take place over five weeks before ending with Rhymes’ Brooklyn homecoming on April 21. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Rhea Ripley defeated Nia Jax in her homecoming at WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 in Perth, Australia. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 The sophomore scholar takes to the hardwood in three varsity basketball games culminating in Seneca High’s homecoming game Friday night. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 After years of working in Charleston, Greg’s move back to Southern California was a celebrated homecoming. Michael Chin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The game was a homecoming for Brown, who had two stints with the Cavs (2006-10 and 2013-14). Tom Withers, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homecoming.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of homecoming was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near homecoming

Cite this Entry

“Homecoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homecoming. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

homecoming

noun
home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkəm-ing How to pronounce homecoming (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on homecoming

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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