American English

Definition of home noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary



    jump to other results
    house, etc.
  1. 1[countable, uncountable] the house or apartment that you live in, especially with your family We are not far from my home now. Old people prefer to stay in their own homes. She leaves home at 7 every day. the family home While traveling she missed the comforts of home. He left home (= left his parents and began an independent life) at sixteen. Nowadays a lot of people work from home. I'll call you from home later. (figurative) We haven't found a home for all our books yet (= a place where they can be kept). stray dogs needing new homes see also stay-at-home
  2. 2 [countable] a house or apartment, etc., when you think of it as property that can be bought and sold a summer home A lot of new homes are being built on the edge of town. Private home ownership is increasing faster than ever. They applied for a home improvement loan.
  3. town/country
  4. 3 [countable, uncountable] the town, district, country, etc. that you come from, or where you are living and that you feel you belong to I often think about my friends back home. Jane left Chicago and made Greece her home. Jamaica is home to over two million people.
  5. family
  6. 4[countable] used to refer to a family living together, and the way it behaves She came from a violent home. They wanted to give the boy a secure and loving home. He had always wanted a real home with a wife and children. see also broken home
  7. for old people/children
  8. 5[countable] a place where people who cannot care for themselves live and are cared for by others a children's home an old people's home a retirement home a home for the mentally ill She has lived in a home since she was six. see also nursing home, rest home
  9. of plant/animal
  10. 6[singular, uncountable] the place where a plant or animal usually lives; the place where someone or something can be found This region is the home of many species of wild flower. The tiger's home is in the jungle. The Rockies are home to bears and mountain lions. Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest. Beverly Hills is the home of the stars.
  11. where something first done
  12. 7[singular] the home of something the place where something was first discovered, made, or invented New Orleans, the home of jazz Greece, the home of democracy
  13. in baseball
  14. 8[singular] = home plate
  15. Idioms
    1. 1 in a person's own house, apartment, etc. I phoned you last night, but you weren't at home. Oh no, I left my purse at home. He lived at home (= with his parents) until he was thirty.
    2. 2comfortable and relaxed Sit down and make yourself at home. Simon feels very at home on a horse.
    3. 3(used especially in journalism) in someone's own country, not in a foreign country The president is not as popular at home as he is abroad.
    4. 4 if a sports team plays at home, it plays in the town, etc. that it comes from The Jets are playing at home this weekend. Is the game on Saturday at home or away?
      away from home
      jump to other results
    1. 1 away from a person's own house, apartment, etc. He works away from home during the week. I don't want to be away from home for too long.
    2. 2 if a sports team plays away from home, it plays in the town, etc. that its opponent comes from The team has scored 24 touchdowns away from home this season.
    charity begins at home (saying)
    jump to other results
    you should help and care for your own family, etc. before you start helping other people
    close to home
    jump to other results
    if a remark or topic of discussion is close to home, it is accurate or connected with you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or embarrassed Her remarks about me were embarrassingly close to home.
    eat somebody out of house and home (informal) (often humorous)
    jump to other results
    to eat a lot of someone else's food How much longer is he staying? He's eating us out of house and home.
    a home away from home
    jump to other results
    a place where you feel relaxed and comfortable as if you were in your own home The guests are made to feel that the hotel is a home away from home.
    home is where the heart is (saying)
    jump to other results
    a home is where the people you love are
    home sweet home (often ironic)
    jump to other results
    a/the man about town
    jump to other results
    a man who frequently goes to fashionable parties, clubs, theaters, etc. In his new suit, he looked like the man about town.
    your spiritual home
    jump to other results
    the place where you are happiest, especially a country where you feel you belong more than in your own country because you share the ideas and attitudes of the people who live there When she moved to Italy, she knew she'd found her true spiritual home.
See the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary entry: home