home-made

home-made — adjective

1. describes food, gifts, or other items that a person makes in their own house ins

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

describes food, gifts, or other items that a person makes in their own house instead of buying from a shop

Example

Rachid brought a jar of home-made jam to the neighbourhood party.

collocation: home-made jam

The children sold home-made lemonade from a small table outside their house.

subject is people selling food they made

Common collocations
  • home-made bread
  • home-made jam
  • home-made cake
  • home-made pizza
  • home-made soup
  • home-made card
  • home-made gift
  • home-made furniture
  • home-made soap
Synonyms
  • handmade

    focuses on 'made by hand' rather than 'made at home'; a handmade item may be bought from a craftsperson

  • home-cooked

    only used for meals prepared at home, not for non-food items

  • DIY

    broader — describes any project done by the owner rather than a professional, not limited to the home

Antonyms
  • store-bought

    direct opposite — purchased ready-made from a shop

  • factory-made

    emphasises industrial production rather than home preparation

  • ready-made

    implies the item was already prepared and needs no further work

Grammar Patterns

home-made + noun

linking verb + home-made

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Home-made describes food or items someone makes in their own home rather than buying — a home-made cake is baked at home. Handmade focuses on the making process itself, using hand tools rather than machines, and the item might be sold by a craftsperson (a handmade leather wallet). Home-cooked is narrower — only used for meals prepared at home (a home-cooked dinner). DIY (do-it-yourself) is broader still: it covers any project done by the owner rather than a professional (a DIY bookshelf), not necessarily at home. Choose home-made when the key contrast is home versus shop; choose handmade when the contrast is hand versus machine.

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • home-made from scratch

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining 'home' (from Old English hām, meaning 'dwelling place') and 'made' (past participle of 'make', from Old English macian). The compound has been used since the 1600s to describe things produced inside a household rather than by a professional craftsperson or factory. Over time it became especially common for food, gifts, and household items made at home.