Definition

1. Noun:

   • A place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household: The primary residence of a person or family.
   • An institution providing care or residence for a specific group: A place for people who need care, such as the elderly or orphans.
   • The place where something originates or is most common: The native environment or source of something.
   • In sports, the goal or safe area: In games like baseball, the final base that a runner must touch to score.

2. Adjective:

   • Relating to one's own dwelling, country, or domestic affairs: Connected to the place where one lives or to internal matters.
   • Done or based at one's own location: Referring to an event taking place in one's own town or on one's own ground.

3. Adverb:

   • To or at the place where one lives: Moving toward or being at one's residence.
   • To the fullest or most effective extent: Completely or in a way that is deeply felt or understood.

4. Verb:

   • To return to one's place of residence: To go back home.
   • To provide with a home: To give someone or something a place to live.
   • To be guided toward a target or destination: To move accurately toward a specific point, often used for animals or missiles.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • She returned to her home after a long day at work.
  • The charity built a home for the elderly.
  • New Orleans is considered the home of jazz.
  • The runner slid into home to score the winning run.

• Adjective:

  • We watched the home team win the championship.
  • The company focuses on the home market before expanding abroad.

• Adverb:

  • He drove home after the party.
  • Her criticism really hit home and made me reconsider.

• Verb:

  • The pigeons home in on their loft with incredible accuracy.
  • The organization works to home stray animals.

Advanced Usage

• "To be/feel at home": To feel comfortable and relaxed in a place or situation.

  • Even though it was her first day, she felt completely at home in the new office.

• "To bring something home to someone": To make someone fully understand or realize something, especially an unpleasant truth.

  • The documentary brought home the devastating effects of climate change.

• "Home in on": To move directly and accurately toward a target or to focus attention on something.

  • The detective homed in on the key piece of evidence.

Variants and Related Words

• Homely (adj): Simple but comfortable, like a home; (in British English) plain or unattractive in appearance.
• Homeless (adj): Without a home.
• Homemade (adj): Made at home, not commercially produced.
• Homeward (adv): Going toward home.

Synonyms

• Residence: A person's home; the place where someone lives.
• Dwelling: A place where people live.
• Household: A house and its occupants considered as a unit.
• Abode: A place of residence; a house or home.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Home in on: To direct one's attention or move toward a target.

  • The missile homed in on the heat signature.

• Make yourself at home: An invitation for a guest to relax and behave as if in their own home.

  • Please, come in and make yourself at home.

Related Idioms

• "Home is where the heart is": One's true home is with the people or in the place one loves most.
• "There's no place like home": Expresses the sentiment that one's own home is the best and most comfortable place.
• "Nothing to write home about": Not particularly interesting or impressive.
  • The movie was okay, but it was nothing to write home about.
• "Charity begins at home": One should take care of one's own family and community before helping others.

Adjective

1. inside the country
   • the British Home Office has broader responsibilities than the United States Department of the Interior
   • the nation's internal politics
2. relating to or being where one lives or where one's roots are
   • my home town
3. used of your own ground
   • a home game

Verb

1. return home accurately from a long distance
   • homing pigeons
2. provide with, or send to, a home

Noun

1. an institution where people are cared for
   • a home for the elderly
2. a social unit living together
   • he moved his family to Virginia
   • It was a good Christian household
   • I waited until the whole house was asleep
   • the teacher asked how many people made up his home
3. an environment offering affection and security
   • home is where the heart is
   • he grew up in a good Christian home
   • there's no place like home
4. place where something began and flourished
   • the United States is the home of basketball
5. the place where you are stationed and from which missions start and end
6. (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
   • he ruled that the runner failed to touch home
7. the country or state or city where you live
   • Canadian tariffs enabled United States lumber companies to raise prices at home
   • his home is New Jersey
8. housing that someone is living in
   • he built a modest dwelling near the pond
   • they raise money to provide homes for the homeless
9. where you live at a particular time
   • deliver the package to my home
   • he doesn't have a home to go to
   • your place or mine?

Adverb

1. to the fullest extent; to the heart
   • drove the nail home
   • drove his point home
   • his comments hit home
2. on or to the point aimed at
   • the arrow struck home
3. at or to or in the direction of one's home or family
   • He stays home on weekends
   • after the game the children brought friends home for supper
   • I'll be home tomorrow
   • came riding home in style
   • I hope you will come home for Christmas
   • I'll take her home
   • don't forget to write home