What is home? How to use in English

Discover the meaning of home in English, its pronunciation, and how to use it correctly in real-life situations. See examples and easy memorization tips.

Definition & pronunciation of home

homenoun

ở tại nhà, nước mình

/həʊm/

Definition & pronunciation of <strong>home</strong>

Where does the word home come from?

The word "home" has a rich and fascinating history. The modern English word "home" comes from the Old English word "hām," which referred to a dwelling place or a family's estate. This word is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "haimiz," which was also the source of the modern German word "heim." The Proto-Germanic word is thought to have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kheim-," which carried a sense of "earth" or "land." This root is also the source of other English words such as "chimney" and "hearth." Over time, the meaning of the word "home" expanded to include not only a physical dwelling place but also a sense of familial and emotional connection. Despite its evolution, the word "home" remains a powerful symbol of security, comfort, and belonging for many people around the world.

Vocabulary summary home

typenoun

meaninghouse, residence

exampleto go home

exampleto see somebody home

examplehe is home: he has arrived home; he is at home

meaninghome, family, home

exampleto send someone home

examplehome trade

examplehome market: domestic market

meaninghomeland, fatherland, birthplace, country

exampleto strike home: hit the target, hit the weak spot; hit the nail on the head

typeadjective

meaning(belonging to) family, in family, at home

exampleto go home

exampleto see somebody home

examplehe is home: he has arrived home; he is at home

meaning(belonging to) the country, in the country, internal

exampleto send someone home

examplehome trade

examplehome market: domestic market

meaninglocal

exampleto strike home: hit the target, hit the weak spot; hit the nail on the head

Example of vocabulary homehouse, etc.

meaning

the house or flat that you live in, especially with your family

  • Old people prefer to stay in their own homes.
  • His children were upset when he sold the family home.
  • While travelling she missed the comforts of home.
  • She leaves home at 7 every day.
  • He left home (= left his parents and began an independent life) at sixteen.
meaning

a house or flat, 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.
  • He'd always dreamed of owning his own home.
  • Buying a home can be a complicated business.
  • The number of homes sold in January fell by 13% on the previous month.

Example of vocabulary hometown/country

meaning

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.

Example of vocabulary homefamily

meaning

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.

Example of vocabulary homefor old people/children

meaning

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.

Example of vocabulary homefor pets

meaning

a place where pets with no owner are taken care of

  • a dogs’/cats’ home

Example of vocabulary homeof plant/animal

meaning

the place where a plant or animal usually lives; the place where somebody/something can be found

  • This region is the home of many species of wild flower.
  • The tiger's home is in the jungle.
  • Beverly Hills is the home of the stars.
  • The Rockies are home to bears and mountain lions.
  • Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest.

Example of vocabulary homewhere something is kept

meaning

a place where an object is kept

  • We haven't found a home for all our books yet.

Example of vocabulary homewhere something first done

meaning

the place where something was first discovered, made or invented

  • New Orleans, the home of jazz
  • Greece, the home of democracy
  • Andalusia, the home of flamenco

Synonyms and related words for home

Idioms of vocabulary home

at home
in a person’s own house, flat, etc.
  • I called round 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.
comfortable and relaxed
  • Sit down and make yourself at home.
  • Simon feels very at home on a horse.
in somebody’s own country, not in a foreign country
  • The president is not as popular at home as he is abroad.
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
away from a person’s own house, flat, etc.
  • He works away from home during the week.
  • I don't want to be away from home for too long.
  • Her job means she's away from home for weeks at a time.
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.
  • The team are playing away from home.
charity begins at home
(saying)you should help and care for your own family, etc. before you start helping other people
    close to home
    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.
    that involves somebody directly
    • The next year tragedy struck much closer to home.
    eat somebody out of house and home
    (informal, often humorous)to eat a lot of somebody else’s food
    • How much longer is he staying? He’s eating us out of house and home.
    a home 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.
    • The hotel's friendly atmosphere makes it a real home (away) from home.
    home is where the heart is
    (saying)a home is where the people you love are
      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)
        a man’s home is his castle
        (saying)a person’s home is a place where they can be private and safe and do as they like
          set up home
          (British English)(used especially about a couple) to start living in a new place
          • They got married and set up home together in Hull.
          your spiritual home
          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.
          • The first time he visited New Orleans he knew he had found his spiritual home.
          • I had always thought of India as my spiritual home.
          when he’s, it’s, etc. at home
          (British English, humorous)used to emphasize a question about somebody/something
          • Who's she when she's at home? (= I don't know her)
          work from home
          to do your job in your own home, especially a job that is usually done in an office
          • I usually work from home on Fridays.

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