home
home
Pronunciation
home: /hoʊm/
hoam: /hoʊm/
Word Form Variations
Noun:
Singular: home
Plural: homes
Verb:
Base form: home
Third-person singular present: homes
Present participle: homing
Past tense: homed
Past participle: homed
Adjective: home (used attributively, e.g., "home run")
Adverb: home (used to indicate direction or location, e.g., "go home")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A dwelling place, especially one that serves as a permanent residence for an individual, family, or household; a house or apartment.
Synonyms: residence, dwelling, abode, domicile, house, apartment, lodging
Antonyms: (no direct antonyms for a physical place, but consider: abroad, away)
The specific environment, community, or even country that one belongs to, originates from, or holds a deep sense of belonging to; one's native place.
Synonyms: homeland, native land, roots, origins, birthplace, community
Antonyms: foreign land, exile, displacement
A place where something is found, originates, or flourishes naturally; a natural habitat or base.
Synonyms: habitat, natural environment, native ground, base, origin
Antonyms: unnatural environment, foreign territory
Verb
To go or return to one's residence or familiar place.
Synonyms: return, go back, retreat, retire
Antonyms: leave, depart, go, journey
To be guided or directed precisely towards a target or destination, especially automatically.
Synonyms: zero in, target, pinpoint, converge, aim
Antonyms: miss, stray, wander, diverge
Adjective
Relating to one's residence, family, or domestic life; done or made at home.
Synonyms: domestic, household, private, family, internal
Antonyms: public, commercial, external, foreign
Of or relating to a place where a team or organization is based; played at one's own venue.
Synonyms: local, domestic, native
Antonyms: away, visiting, foreign
Adverb
To or at one's residence or native place.
Synonyms: homewards, inward, domestically
Antonyms: away, abroad, out
Examples of Use
Books:
"There's no place like home." (L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) - This iconic line exemplifies the noun form referring to a cherished dwelling.
"He closed his book and walked home through the deepening dusk." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) - Here, "home" is used as an adverb indicating direction.
Newspapers:
"The local real estate market continues to see strong demand for single-family homes." (Daily Nation, Kenya - hypothetical headline) - This uses the plural noun form referring to houses.
"After a long deployment, the soldiers were finally homing in on their families." (The New York Times - hypothetical article excerpt) - "Homing" is used as a verb here, implying moving towards a destination.
Online Publications:
"Work-from-home policies have drastically reshaped corporate culture." (Forbes.com, "The Future of Work" - hypothetical article title) - "Home" is used as an adjective modifying "policies."
"Our guide to making your home office a productive space." (Lifehacker.com - hypothetical article title) - "Home" is used as a noun, referring to a dwelling, but also functions attributively to specify the type of office.
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Music: "Take me home, country roads, to the place I belong." (John Denver, "Take Me Home, Country Roads") - "Home" is used as an adverb indicating direction.
Film: "E.T. phone home." (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) - A classic line where "home" is a noun, referring to E.T.'s planet of origin.
Television (Reality Show): "The contestants faced their final challenge, a home-cooked meal for the judges." (MasterChef - hypothetical episode description) - "Home" is used as an adjective describing the meal.
Video Games: "Player 1 returns to home base for resupply." (Fortnite or Call of Duty ) - "Home" is an adjective modifying "base," referring to a team's or player's starting or safe zone.
Podcasts: "Today's episode explores the concept of 'digital nomads' who have no permanent home." (The Daily from The New York Times) - Here, "home" is used as a noun, referring to a fixed residence.
General Public Discourse:
"I'm finally going home for the holidays." (Common conversational phrase) - "Home" as an adverb, indicating direction.
"Let's have a home game next week." (Said by someone organizing a sports event) - "Home" as an adjective, indicating the game will be played at their own venue.
"She's been feeling a bit homesick." (Common conversational phrase) - While "homesick" is a compound word, "home" is the root noun referring to one's dwelling or place of belonging.
"The new community center will be a home for all ages." (Statement by a community leader) - "Home" as a noun, used metaphorically to mean a welcoming place of belonging.
10 Famous Quotes Using Home
"There's no place like home." (L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." (George Augustus Moore)
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." (Lao Tzu) - While "home" isn't explicitly used, this quote can be metaphorically understood as starting from one's "home" point.
"Home is where the heart is." (Pliny the Elder)
"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." (John Howard Payne, "Home, Sweet Home")
"You can never go home again." (Thomas Wolfe, You Can't Go Home Again)
"Peace and home are found not in distant places, but within oneself." (Eckhart Tolle)
"Home is not a place, it's a feeling." (Cecelia Ahern, Love, Rosie)
"East, West, home's best." (English Proverb)
"An army marches on its stomach." (Napoleon Bonaparte) - This quote, while not using "home," implies the fundamental necessities that allow an army to function, much like a "home" provides foundational support.
Etymology
The word "home" has a rich history that goes back a very long way!
Imagine people in ancient times needing a safe, familiar place to rest. That's essentially where "home" comes from.
Its roots are in the Proto-Germanic language, a language that existed before English, German, Dutch, and other similar languages developed. The Proto-Germanic word was *haimaz.
When it made its way into Old English (the earliest form of English, spoken before 1150 AD), it became hām.
What did hām mean initially? It wasn't just a physical building like our word "house" often is today. Instead, hām had a broader meaning. It referred to a:
Dwelling place or abode: A fixed place where someone lived.
Estate or property: A piece of land with a residence on it.
Village or community: It could even mean a whole settlement or region where people lived together.
Native land/country: The place where one belonged or originated from.
So, the very first meaning of "home" was deeply connected to the idea of a settled place, a community, and a sense of belonging, rather than just the four walls of a house. It carried a feeling of familiarity and rootedness from the very beginning.
Over time, as English evolved, "home" also started being used as an adjective (around the 1550s) and a verb (around 1765), but its core meaning of a place of residence and belonging has remained strong.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Home
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "home":
Home sweet home: Expresses affection for one's home.
Make yourself at home: Act as if you are in your own home; relax.
Bring something home: To make something clear or understood.
Nothing to write home about: Unremarkable or not special.
Hit home: To affect someone deeply or personally.
Come home to roost: (Of an ill-advised action) to have negative consequences for the person who took it.
Home free: Safe from danger or difficulty.
On the home stretch: Nearing the end of a long task or journey.
The lights are on but nobody's home: (Idiom, often derogatory) Said of someone who appears present but is not mentally aware or intelligent.
A home away from home: A place where one feels as comfortable and welcome as in one's own home.
Keep the home fires burning: To maintain a cheerful and welcoming atmosphere, especially while someone is away.
Drive home a point: To emphasize something forcefully.
Home plate: (Baseball) The base that a runner must touch last to score a run.
The homeless: People without a permanent dwelling.
Until the cows come home: For a very long time; indefinitely.
Close to home: Affecting one personally or relating to one's own situation.
Go home in a box: To die. (Often used humorously or hyperbolically)
Leave home: To move out of one's parents' house.
Home alone: Without anyone else in the house.
Take home pay: The amount of money one receives after taxes and deductions.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of home from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
