home
home — verb
1. to go back to the house, apartment, or place where you normally live, especially
to go back to the house, apartment, or place where you normally live, especially after being away for some time, such as after work, a trip, or a stay elsewhere.
After three months in Japan, Mateo finally homed to Sydney last week.
home + to [place] for returning after a long trip
The fishing boat homed to its small harbour before the storm hit.
Christopher homed from the airport by midnight and collapsed onto the sofa.
home + from [place] for origin of return journey
Every evening the old dog homes to the back porch and waits for dinner.
- home to
- home from
- leave
to go away from home
Grammar Patterns
home (to/from)
Usage Note
Frequently used with a prepositional phrase (home to, home from) rather than alone. More common in literary or descriptive writing than in everyday speech, where 'go home' or 'come back' is preferred.
Common Mistakes
2. to travel across a long distance and successfully return to the particular place
to travel across a long distance and successfully return to the particular place where you were born or originally lived, used especially for birds, fish, and other migrating animals.
Salmon always home to the exact river where they hatched years earlier.
subject is a migrating animal; always + home to [place]
Scientists fitted the pigeon with a tiny tracker before it homed across two countries.
Sea turtles home to the same stretch of sand decades after they hatched.
The research team studied how young swallows home to their original nesting site each spring.
home + to [place] + time adverbial (each spring)
- home to
- home from
- home across
Grammar Patterns
home (to/from)
Usage Note
Subject is almost always an animal. Used in biology and nature writing. Not used for human travel except in poetic or metaphorical contexts.
3. to move steadily towards a target by detecting and following a physical signal o
to move steadily towards a target by detecting and following a physical signal or visual landmark, such as a radio wave, a light, or a geographic feature.
The missile homed in on the radar signal from the warship below.
home in on + [signal] as the target
A rescue drone homed toward the emergency beacon on the mountainside.
The guided boat homed in on the harbour light through the thick fog.
home in on + [object] for physical navigation
Each delivery drone homes toward the GPS coordinates of the customer's garden.
- home in on
- home toward
Grammar Patterns
home in on + object
Usage Note
Almost always appears with the particle 'in on' (home in on) or 'toward' (home toward). The object is the target being approached. Do not confuse with 'hone in on' — 'hone' means to sharpen, and although some speakers use 'hone in on', the traditional form is 'home in on'.
Common Mistakes
4. to direct your effort, attention, or discussion toward a particular problem, cau
to direct your effort, attention, or discussion toward a particular problem, cause, or topic as the most important one — for example, homing in on the real reason for a disagreement.
The investigation homed in on three key transactions from last January.
home in on + [abstract target issue]
During the debate, Nkechi homed in on the rising cost of rent in the city.
The teacher homed in on the main grammar error that confused the whole class.
Reporters homed toward the minister's financial records rather than the policy itself.
home toward + [topic] as an alternative to 'home in on'
- home in on
- home toward
- zero in on
more emphatic and slightly less formal
- pinpoint
implies identifying the exact issue with precision
- focus on
much more common and neutral; does not imply the narrowing-down process
Grammar Patterns
home in on + object
Usage Note
This figurative sense is derived from sense 3. It always takes a preposition (in on, toward) and an object. The subject is usually a person, a group, or a process (investigation, discussion). Distinguish from sense 3, where the target is a physical signal or landmark rather than an abstract issue.
5. to give a new home to an animal, especially a stray or rescued pet, by placing i
to give a new home to an animal, especially a stray or rescued pet, by placing it in a suitable household where it will be cared for.
The shelter homed over two hundred stray cats and dogs last year alone.
active transitive: shelter + homed + number + animals
Tanvi's rescued rabbit was homed with a family that had a large garden.
passive: be homed with + [caring entity]
The charity works hard to home abandoned puppies before the winter months arrive.
All the kittens from the litter have now been homed with loving owners.
- home with
- home in
- be homed
Grammar Patterns
be homed + preposition (at/in/with)
Usage Note
Frequently used in the passive voice (be homed). The active voice typically has an organization or shelter as the subject. More common in British English than American English. Not used for people except in institutional contexts (e.g. fostering children).
Common Mistakes
home in on
phrasal verbto move towards a target by following a signal, landmark, or other guide; also used figuratively to mean to focus attention on a specific issue.
The submarine homed in on the enemy ship's engine noise.
James homed in on the weakest point of the argument during the meeting.
home — noun
1. a building such as a house or apartment where a person or family lives on a regu
a building such as a house or apartment where a person or family lives on a regular basis.
Aoi's home is a small apartment on the fourth floor of an old building.
possessive + home for where someone lives
After three weeks abroad, Christopher was glad to be back in his own home.
The family sold their large home and moved into a smaller one near the park.
Millions of homes across the island lost electricity during the strong storm.
plural homes for many residences
- own home
- family home
- at home
- back home
- leave home
- work from home
Grammar Patterns
somebody's home
a home
the home
Usage Note
Countable noun — you can say 'a home', 'the home', or 'homes'. In everyday speech, 'house' and 'home' overlap, but 'home' carries a stronger emotional sense of family and belonging. Frequently used with a possessive: 'my home', 'their home'.
Common Mistakes
2. a building such as a house or apartment that people buy and sell, and whose valu
a building such as a house or apartment that people buy and sell, and whose value can rise or fall.
Élise and Felipe want a new home in the suburbs with a large garden.
a home meaning a property to buy
Home prices in this area have risen by fifteen percent this year.
Buying your first home is a big financial decision that requires careful planning.
A real estate agent showed Roya three different homes before she found one she liked.
- buy a home
- sell a home
- first home
- new home
- holiday home
- home owner
- home buyer
- home loan
Grammar Patterns
a home
the home
a home for sale
Usage Note
In this sense, 'home' is a commercial term interchangeable with 'property' or 'real estate'. It is countable but often appears with an adjective ('new home', 'first home', 'holiday home'). Common in real estate advertising and news about the housing market.
Common Mistakes
3. the family you grow up in and the values, habits, and social conditions that sha
the family you grow up in and the values, habits, and social conditions that shape your early life.
Kwame comes from a home where education and hard work were always encouraged.
from a home meaning family background
Children from unstable homes often need extra support at school to succeed.
Mayumi was raised in a musical home where everyone played at least one instrument.
The social worker visited the home and spoke with both parents about the child's progress.
- broken home
- stable home
- loving home
- come from a ... home
- home environment
- home life
- household
more neutral focus on the people living together rather than the emotional environment
- upbringing
refers to the way a person is raised, not the family unit itself
Grammar Patterns
somebody's home
from a ... home
Usage Note
In this sense, 'home' is uncountable and refers to the atmosphere and values of a household, not a physical building. Frequently modified by adjectives that describe social or cultural conditions: 'a stable home', 'a broken home', 'a loving home'.
Common Mistakes
4. a place run by staff where people who need regular help can live, or where stray
a place run by staff where people who need regular help can live, or where stray animals are housed until new owners adopt them.
Gabriela's grandmother moved into a nursing home after she could no longer walk safely.
nursing home for elderly care
The local animal home found homes for all the dogs and cats within two months.
Volunteers at the children's home organise trips to the beach every summer holiday.
Many families visit their relatives in the care home every Sunday afternoon.
care home as a compound noun
- nursing home
- care home
- retirement home
- children's home
- animal home
- old people's home
- in a home
- nursing home
specific to medical care for elderly or ill residents
- shelter
more common for animal homes; also used for homeless people
- residential care
formal term covering all types of staffed accommodation for people who need help
Grammar Patterns
a home for ...
a ... home
in a home
Usage Note
This sense always combines with a preceding noun that specifies the type of care: 'nursing home', 'retirement home', 'care home', 'children's home', 'animal home'. The compound noun is treated as countable — 'a nursing home', 'two nursing homes'.
Common Mistakes
5. a place such as a town, region, or country where you feel you truly belong, or w
a place such as a town, region, or country where you feel you truly belong, or where something originally came from and developed.
Sana was born in Japan but considers the small town in Wales her spiritual home.
spiritual home for a place of belonging
This region is home to a rare orchid found nowhere else on Earth.
the home of meaning the place of origin
After years abroad, Nia found a home in a fishing village by the coast.
The museum is home to an impressive collection of ancient pottery from the Zhou dynasty.
Wren felt an immediate sense of home the moment she stepped into the old library.
- spiritual home
- home to
- find a home
- feel at home
- the home of
- sense of home
- birthplace
only the literal place where someone was born, not an emotional sense of belonging
- homeland
stronger emotional and political sense; often used for a country you feel loyalty to
- roots
always plural; refers to family heritage and culture rather than a single location
Grammar Patterns
somebody's home
the home of something
feel at home
Usage Note
This sense can be either literal (geographical place of origin) or emotional (somewhere you feel you belong even if you were not born there). 'To be home to something' is a fixed pattern meaning 'to contain or be the location of'. 'Spiritual home' is a common collocation for a place that feels right even if you have no family ties there.
6. the country where you were born or grew up, seen in contrast to other countries
the country where you were born or grew up, seen in contrast to other countries you might visit or live in.
Sivan studied abroad for three years but always planned to return home afterwards.
return home meaning go back to one's country
News stories about events back home made the students feel a little homesick.
The ambassador spoke to reporters about trade relations between Japan and her home country.
home country as a set phrase
Felipe missed the food from home more than anything else during his first year abroad.
- at home
- back home
- home country
- news from home
- leave home
- return home
- homeland
more formal and carries stronger emotional or patriotic feelings
- native country
specifically the country where a person was born
- abroad
in or to a foreign country
Grammar Patterns
at home
back home
in someone's home country
Usage Note
In this sense, 'home' is uncountable and appears without an article in common fixed expressions: 'at home' (domestically), 'back home' (in one's country of origin), 'from home' (from one's native country). When the meaning is 'your own country', use 'home country' or 'at home' rather than just 'home' alone to avoid ambiguity with the building sense.
Common Mistakes
7. the location — usually a field, stadium, or court — where a sports team regularl
the location — usually a field, stadium, or court — where a sports team regularly plays its own matches, as opposed to an opponent's ground.
The Wanderers have won all four of their home games this season.
collocation: home games
Nellie prefers playing at home because her family can watch from the stands.
collocation: at home (prepositional phrase)
The team's home stadium holds more than thirty thousand fans.
collocation: home stadium
Christopher scored the winning goal at home in front of a noisy crowd.
Playing away from home is harder because the fans support the other team.
phrase: away from home (opponent's venue)
- home game
- home stadium
- home ground
- home match
- play at home
- at home
- away from home
- home ground
more common in British English for the specific field or stadium
- home turf
informal, suggests the familiar territory of a team
- away ground
the opponent's venue
Grammar Patterns
at home
away from home
home + noun (home game, home stadium)
Usage Note
Frequently used in the fixed phrases 'at home' (on one's own field) and 'away from home' (on an opponent's field). Unlike sense 1, this sense does not refer to a place of residence.
Common Mistakes
8. in baseball, the flat five-sided rubber base that a hitter stands next to; a run
in baseball, the flat five-sided rubber base that a hitter stands next to; a runner must reach this base to score a point, also called home plate.
The runner slid into home just before the catcher tagged him.
phrase: slide into home
Yan stepped up to home and waited for the pitcher's throw.
phrase: step up to home
Gita hit the ball deep and sprinted from home toward first base.
The umpire crouched behind home to watch each pitch closely.
phrase: behind home
Maja's first home run sent the ball flying over the fence.
related term: home run (not same meaning but baseball context)
- slide into home
- at home
- to home
- behind home
- cross home
- tagged at home
- home plate
the full, formal term for this base
Grammar Patterns
at home
to home
slide into home
cross home
Usage Note
This sense is restricted to baseball (and rarely softball). 'Home' alone is used as a short form of 'home plate'; the full term is also common. The phrase 'at home' here means at the home plate position, not at a team's stadium.
Common Mistakes
at home
idiomIn the place where you live.
Mia left her keys at home this morning.
Are you staying at home tonight?
away from home
idiomNot in the place where you live.
Diego has been away from home for three weeks.
Do you often travel away from home for work?
You should take care of your own family before helping others.
Before donating to strangers, remember charity begins at home.
My mother always says charity begins at home.
close to home
idiomIf a comment or topic is close to home, it makes you feel uncomfortable because it is too personal or true.
His joke about my grades hit close to home.
The documentary about family problems struck close to home for Sara.
To eat a large amount of someone else's food, often causing them to run out.
Our teenage son is eating us out of house and home.
The guests ate us out of house and home during the party.
a home from home
idiomA place where you feel as comfortable and relaxed as in your own home.
The small inn felt like a home from home.
For Aiden, the library is a home from home.
Your home is the place where the people you love are, not necessarily where you live.
Even though we move often, home is where the heart is.
She says home is where the heart is, so she feels at home with her friends.
home sweet home
idiomUsed to express happiness about being in your own home, sometimes ironically when it is not very nice.
After the long trip, I sighed, "Home sweet home."
The apartment was tiny, but he still thought, home sweet home.
A person's home is a private and safe place where they can do what they want.
He believes a man's home is his castle and values his privacy.
In many cultures, a man's home is his castle.
set up home
idiomTo start living in a new place, often as a couple.
Maya and Diego set up home in a small town.
After they married, they set up home in London.
your spiritual home
idiomA place where you feel you truly belong and are happiest, often a country or culture.
When Brian visited Japan, he knew it was his spiritual home.
She found her spiritual home in the mountains of Nepal.
Used to emphasize a question about someone or something, often when you do not know them.
Who is she when she's at home? I've never heard of her.
What is that gadget when it's at home?
work from home
idiomTo do your job in your own house instead of going to an office.
Sara works from home every Wednesday.
Do you prefer to work from home or in an office?
home — adjective
1. describing the house, apartment, or other place where a person or family lives,
describing the house, apartment, or other place where a person or family lives, especially when referring to contact details or location.
Samir wrote down his home address on the school form.
attributive: home + noun (address, telephone, number)
The courier left the parcel at Élise's home address.
Romi changed her home telephone number after moving to a new flat.
The school keeps each student's home contact details on file.
- home address
- home telephone
- home phone
- home number
- home base
- residential
More formal; describes an area or property type rather than a specific dwelling's contact details
- work
Contrasts home contact details with those at a workplace
Grammar Patterns
home + noun
Usage Note
Only used before a noun; the noun it modifies refers to a person's dwelling or contact information at that dwelling.
Common Mistakes
2. done inside a house or apartment, or made or designed to be used there.
done inside a house or apartment, or made or designed to be used there.
Sari bought a home bread maker to bake fresh loaves every morning.
attributive: home + noun for equipment or appliances
The shop sells home baking supplies like flour, sugar, and yeast.
Ignacio set up a home office in the spare bedroom.
Lina used a home pregnancy test before visiting the doctor.
- home office
- home computer
- home baking
- home cooking
- home repair
- home test
- commercial
Describes things done or used in a business or professional setting
- industrial
Describes things designed for factories or large-scale operations
Grammar Patterns
home + noun (equipment, activity, food)
Usage Note
Commonly combines with nouns for equipment, foods, activities, and tests that are done or used in a domestic setting rather than commercially or institutionally.
Common Mistakes
3. relating to family members, private routines, and personal matters within a hous
relating to family members, private routines, and personal matters within a household, as opposed to work or public life.
Abigail enjoys the quiet routines of home life after a busy week at school.
attributive: home + noun (life, atmosphere, environment)
Xiu shares home duties like cooking and cleaning with her flatmates.
A warm home atmosphere helps young children feel safe and confident.
The social worker visited to check on the child's home environment.
Asher misses the comfort of home cooking while living in the dormitory.
- home life
- home environment
- home atmosphere
- home duties
- home responsibilities
- home cooking
Grammar Patterns
home + noun (life, environment, duties)
Usage Note
Frequently appears with nouns related to daily family routines and emotional well-being. Distinguish from sense 1 (HOME ADDRESS), which refers to the physical dwelling itself, not the family life within it.
Common Mistakes
4. relating to activities, products, or conditions within a person's own country, r
relating to activities, products, or conditions within a person's own country, rather than in foreign nations.
The government provides loans to support home industries like farming and car making.
attributive: home + noun for country-internal matters
Christopher decided to attend a home university instead of studying abroad.
Home sales of furniture rose sharply during the spring season.
Sofie prefers to buy home products because of the lower shipping costs.
- home market
- home sales
- home industry
- home products
- home demand
- home economy
- domestic
Interchangeable in most contexts; 'domestic' is slightly more formal and more common in official writing
- internal
Used in formal or technical contexts, especially economics ('internal market')
- local
Narrower in scope; usually refers to a smaller area within a country rather than the whole nation
- foreign
Direct opposite; describes activities or products in other countries
- overseas
Describes trade or relations with countries across the sea
- international
Describes matters involving multiple countries
Grammar Patterns
home + noun (market, sales, industry)
Usage Note
Common in economics and business contexts. Often contrasts with 'foreign', 'overseas', or 'international' in the same sentence or paragraph.
Common Mistakes
5. describing a sports event that takes place at the team's own stadium or ground,
describing a sports event that takes place at the team's own stadium or ground, rather than at an opponent's venue.
The team won all five home games this season without a single loss.
attributive: home + noun for sports events at the team's own ground
Roya's father took her to watch the home match against Spain on Saturday.
Fans cheered loudly at the home stadium when the captain scored the goal.
Our team has a home advantage because the crowd supports us loudly.
- home game
- home match
- home stadium
- home ground
- home crowd
- home advantage
- home win
- away
Describes a game played at the opponent's venue; the standard paired opposite in sports contexts
Grammar Patterns
home + noun (game, match, stadium)
Usage Note
Used in all team sports. The opposite concept is 'away' (away game, away match). 'Home' in this sense never appears alone after a verb (not 'the game is home').
Common Mistakes
home — idiom
a British politician from the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1964. The surname 'Home' in this name is pronounced /hjuːm/, unlike the ordinary English word 'home'.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home resigned as prime minister after the Labour Party won the general election in October 1964.
Many textbooks mention Sir Alec Douglas-Home as the last British prime minister to hold the office while sitting in the House of Lords.
home — adverb
1. in the building or area where someone lives, or moving toward that place.
in the building or area where someone lives, or moving toward that place.
Roya walked home after her evening class at the university.
walked home — motion verb + home, no preposition
Nobody was home when I knocked on the door.
be home — describing someone's location
Kabir stayed home all weekend to prepare for the exam.
We should get home before the bakery closes at six.
get home — arrival at one's residence
Jisoo drove home through the rain after the concert ended.
- go home
- come home
- get home
- stay home
- walk home
- drive home
- be home
- arrive home
- bring home
- take home
- head home
- indoors
focuses on being inside a building rather than the sense of residence
Grammar Patterns
verb + home (go home, come home, walk home)
be + home (is anyone home?)
stay/remain + home
Usage Note
Unlike place nouns such as 'school' or 'work', 'home' used as an adverb does not need a preposition after verbs of motion — write 'go home', NOT 'go to home'. In American English 'stay home' is standard; British English often prefers 'stay at home'.
Common Mistakes
2. in or toward the nation or region where a person originally belongs, as opposed
in or toward the nation or region where a person originally belongs, as opposed to a place they currently live temporarily.
Christopher moved back home to Kenya after five years in London.
back home — return to one's country of origin
Dahlia calls home every Sunday to talk with her parents.
calls home — contacting one's home country
The price of fresh fruit here is much lower than back home.
Valentina plans to return home after she finishes her degree.
return home — going back to one's native country
A letter from home brought news about the village festival.
- back home
- return home
- call home
- write home
- news from home
- go back home
- fly home
- bring home
- send home
Grammar Patterns
back + home (go back home, move back home)
verb + home (return home, call home)
from + home (news from home)
Usage Note
Frequently appears with 'back' in phrases like 'back home' to emphasise the idea of one's original country or area. Common after verbs of returning (return, go back, come back) and communication (call, write, send news). The phrase 'from home' refers specifically to news, letters, or contact coming from one's native country.
Common Mistakes
home — biographical name
1. William Douglas-Home (1912–1992), a British writer of stage comedies whose works
William Douglas-Home (1912–1992), a British writer of stage comedies whose works include The Chiltern Hundreds and The Reluctant Peer, and who was the younger brother of Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home.
The school's drama society put on The Chiltern Hundreds by William Douglas-Home last spring.
theatrical performance context
Librarian Tariq found a first edition of a William Douglas-Home play in the archive.
Audiences in the 1950s enjoyed the light comedies of writers like William Douglas-Home.
historical reception context
The biography compares William Douglas-Home's career with that of his more famous brother, Alec.
A newspaper article from 1962 reviewed William Douglas-Home's latest play in glowing terms.
Usage Note
This entry refers to the dramatist William Douglas-Home (pronounced /hjuːm/), whose surname is spelled the same as the common English word 'home' but pronounced differently. He is chiefly remembered for his West End comedies of the 1940s–1960s and for being the brother of Sir Alec Douglas-Home, British prime minister from 1963 to 1964.
Word family
- homelyadjectiveB2
- homelessadjectiveB1
- homeboundadjectiveC1
- homeworknounA2
- homemadeadjectiveB1
- homegrownadjectiveB2
- homecomingnounB2
- homelandnounB1
- homesteadnounC1
- homingadjectiveC1
- homewardadverbB2
- homelyadjectiveB2
- homeyadjectiveC1
- homemakernounB2
- homebodynounC1
Common collocations
Phrases
- home + prepositions
- home + motion/position verbs
- home + adjectives
- home + nouns (attributive compounds)
Etymology
Home traces back to Old English hām, meaning "dwelling, house, estate, or village." This comes from Proto-Germanic *haimaz, which is also the source of German Heim, Dutch heem, and Swedish hem. The word is related to Old Norse heimr ("world, home") and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *tkei- ("to settle, dwell"). The shift from Old English /ɑː/ to modern /oʊ/ reflects the Great Vowel Shift. The emotional sense of home as a place of belonging, not just a building, appears already in Old English poetry and has remained central to the word's identity.