home

Universal Words noun, adjective, adverb, verb noun house, etc. 1 [C,U] the house or flat/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 travelling 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 my father's books yet (= a place where they can be kept). * stray dogs needing new homes seealsoSTAY-AT-HOME 2 [C] a house or flat/apartment, etc., when you think of it as property that can be bought and sold: a holiday / 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. seealsoMOBILEHOME, SECONDHOME, STATELYHOME town / country 3 [C,U] 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 England and made Greece her home. * Jamaica is home to over two million people. family 4 [C] 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. seealsoBROKENHOME for old people / children 5 [C] 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. seealsoNURSINGHOME, RESTHOME for pets 6 [C] a place where pets with no owner are looked after: a dogs' / cats' home of plant / animal 7 [sing.,U] the place where a plant or animal usually lives; the place where sb/sth 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. where sth first done 8 [sing.] the ~ of sth the place where sth was first discovered, made or invented: New Orleans, the home of jazz * Greece, the home of democracy IDIOMS at home 1 in a person's own house, flat/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 comfortable and relaxed: Sit down and make yourself at home. * Simon feels very at home on a horse. 3 (used especially in journalism) in sb's own country, not in a foreign country: The president is not as popular at home as he is abroad. 4 if a sports team plays at home, it plays in the town, etc. that it comes from: Leeds are playing at home this weekend. * Is the match on Saturday at home or away? away from home 1 away from a person's own house, flat/apartment, etc: He works away from home during the week. * I don't want to be away from home for too long. 2 (BrE) if a sports team plays away from home, it plays in the town, etc. that its opponent comes from: The side has scored 24 goals away from home this season. a home from home (BrE) (AmE a home away from home) 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 from home. home sweet home (often ironic) used to say how pleasant your home is (especially when you really mean that it is not pleasant at all) set up home (BrE) (used especially about a couple) to start living in a new place: They got married and set up home together in Hull. when he's, it's, etc. at home (BrE, humorous) used to emphasize a question about sb/sth: Who's she when she's at home? (= I don't know her) moreatCHARITY, CLOSEadj., EAT, ENGLISHMAN, SPIRITUAL adjective [onlybeforenoun] where you live 1 connected with the place where you live: home life (= with your family) * a person's home address / town * We offer customers a free home delivery service. made / used at home 2 made or used at home: home movies * home cooking * a home computer * home brew (= beer that is made at home) own country 3 (especially BrE) connected with your own country rather than foreign countries SYNDOMESTIC: products for the home market * home news / affairs OPPFOREIGN, OVERSEAS in sport 4 connected with a team's own sports ground: a home match / win * the home team * Rangers were playing in front of their home crowd. compareAWAY adverb where you live 1 to or at the place where you live: Come on, it's time to go home. * What time did you get home last night? * The trip has been exhausting and I'll be glad to be home. * After a month, they went back home to America. * It was a lovely day so I walked home. * Anna will drive me home after work. * Hopefully the doctors will allow her home tomorrow. * (AmE) I like to stay home in the evenings. into correct position 2 into the correct position: She leaned on the door and pushed the bolt home. * He drove the ball home (= scored a goal) from 15 metres. * The torpedo struck home on the hull of the ship. IDIOMS be home and dry (BrE) (AmE be home free) to have done sth successfully, especially when it was difficult: I could see the finish line and thought I was home and dry. bring home the bacon (informal) to be successful at sth; to earn money for your family to live on: His friends had all gone to college or were bringing home the bacon. bring sth home to sb to make sb realize how important, difficult or serious sth is: The sight of his pale face brought home to me how ill he really was. * The television pictures brought home to us all the full horror of the attack. come home to sb to become completely clear to sb, often in a way that is painful: It suddenly came home to him that he was never going to see Julie again. sth comes home to roost (also the chickens come home to roost) used to say that if sb says or does sth bad or wrong, it will affect them badly in the future hit / strike home if a remark, etc. hits/ strikes home, it has a strong effect on sb, in a way that makes them realize what the true facts of a situation are: Her face went pale as his words hit home. moreatCOWn., DRIVEv., PRESSv., RAMv., ROMPn., WRITE verb PHRASALVERBS home in on sth 1 to aim at sth and move straight towards it: The missile homed in on the target. * a shark homing in on its victim 2 to direct your thoughts or attention towards sth: I began to feel I was really homing in on the answer. * The investigation homed in on the town of Carlton.