- 1 [countable, uncountable] 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 our books yet (= a place where they can be kept). stray dogs needing new homes see also stay-at-home Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivefamily, marital, matrimonial, … verb + homebe away from, get away from, leave, … home + nounaddress, number, background, … prepositionat home, away from home, back home, … phrasesa home away from home, a home from home, home sweet home, … See full entry
- 2 [countable] 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. CollocationsDecorating and home improvementHouses refurbish/renovate/ (British English) do up a building/a house convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially North American English) apartments/(British English) flats extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen build (British English) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(North American English) an addition (on/to something)/(British English) a conservatory knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall knock out/through the wall separating two roomsDecoration furnish/paint/ (especially British English) decorate a home/a house/an apartment/a flat/a room be decorated in bright colours/(especially US English) colors/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings paint/plaster the walls/ceiling hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(British English) fittings build/put up shelves lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtainDIY/home improvement do (British English) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring make home improvements add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially British English) the loft fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially British English) tap/(usually North American English) faucet block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink make/drill/fill a hole hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood CollocationsMoving house Renting live in a rented/(especially North American English) rental property rent/share/move into a furnished house/(British English) flat/(especially North American English) apartment rent a studio/(British English) a studio flat/(especially North American English) a studio apartment/(British English) a bedsit find/get a housemate/(British English) a flatmate/(North American English) a roommate sign/break the lease/rental agreement/contract extend/renew/terminate the lease/(British English) tenancy afford/pay the rent/the bills/(North American English) the utilities (especially British English) fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the rent pay/lose/return a damage deposit/(North American English) security deposit give/receive a month’s/two-weeks’ notice to leave/vacate the propertyBeing a landlord have a flat/apartment/room (British English) to let/(especially North American English) for rent rent (out)/lease (out)/ (British English) let (out)/sublet a flat/apartment/house/property collect/increase/raise the rent evict the existing tenants attract/find new/prospective tenants invest in rental property/(British English) property to let/(British English) the buy-to-let marketBuying buy/acquire/purchase a house/(a) property/(especially North American English) (a piece of) prime real estate call/contact/use (British English) an estate agent/(North American English) a Realtor™/(North American English) a real estate agent/broker make/ (British English) put in an offer on a house put down/save for (British English) a deposit on a house make/put/save for (especially North American English) a down payment on a house/home apply for/arrange/take out a mortgage/home loan (struggle to) pay the mortgage make/meet/keep up/cover the monthly mortgage payments/(British English also) repayments (British English) repossess/ (especially North American English) foreclose on somebody’s home/houseSelling put your house/property on the market/up for sale/up for auction increase/lower your price/the asking price have/hold/hand over the deed/(especially British English) deeds of/to the house, land, etc. see also mobile home, second home, stately home Wordfinderhomeaccommodation, deed, home, house, lease, let, location, mortgage, squat, tenant Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebeautiful, comfortable, nice, … verb + homeown, buy, purchase, … home + nounbuyer, owner, ownership, … See full entry town/country
- 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 England and made Greece her home. Jamaica is home to over two million people. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivefamily, marital, matrimonial, … verb + homebe away from, get away from, leave, … home + nounaddress, number, background, … prepositionat home, away from home, back home, … phrasesa home away from home, a home from home, home sweet home, … See full entry family
- 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 Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivefamily, marital, matrimonial, … verb + homebe away from, get away from, leave, … home + nounaddress, number, background, … prepositionat home, away from home, back home, … phrasesa home away from home, a home from home, home sweet home, … See full entry for old people/children
- 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 Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecare, children’s, convalescent, … verb + homerun See full entry for pets
- 6[countable] a place where pets with no owner are taken care of a dogs’/cats’ home Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecare, children’s, convalescent, … verb + homerun See full entry of plant/animal
- 7[singular, uncountable] 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. 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 something first done
- 8[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 Word OriginOld English hām, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch heem and German Heim.Extra examples Andalusia, the home of flamenco Fitting a burglar alarm is the most effective way to increase home security. He came from an appalling home background. He claimed he had bought the cigarettes for home consumption, not to sell them. He didn’t leave home until he was 24. He supplements his income with part-time or home work. He used to spend the summer painting at his country home. He went missing while on home leave from prison. He’d always dreamed of owning his own home. Her job means she’s away from home for weeks at a time. I arranged to meet her in her office, as she seemed more relaxed on her home territory. I’ve tried all the home remedies for headaches without success. It’s unusual for young people over 25 to still live in the family home. Let’s go home—I’m tired. Make sure you insure your home contents for an adequate amount. More and more children in the school are from single-parent homes. My grandmother has a home help who comes and cleans twice a week. On the home front, the fuel crisis continues to worsen. Perhaps we could find a home for the kitten. Placing a child in public care is sometimes the only solution to ill-treatment in the natural home. Priceless antique furniture was destroyed in the fire at the stately home. She desperately missed her home comforts while camping. She had never had a stable home life. She left her native home in Ireland and went to America. She missed her mother’s home cooking. The banner said ‘Welcome home dad!’ The course is suitable for classroom or home study. The doctor was assaulted on a home visit. The first time he visited New Orleans he knew he had found his spiritual home. The hill is the legendary home of King Arthur. The hotel’s friendly atmosphere makes it a real home (away) from home. The lock-up garage provides a secure home for your car. The mudflats offer a winter home to thousands of migrating swans. The newspaper gives priority to home news over international news. The people abandoned their homes and headed for the hills. The show gives home-grown musical talent the chance to show what they can do. The storm wrecked the family’s caravan home. The team are playing away from home. The team’s home form has slumped in recent weeks. These birds are in danger of becoming extinct as their forest home disappears. These children badly need a stable and secure home life. They also have a holiday home in Spain. They also have a weekend home in the Catskills. They are a difficult team to beat on their home ground. They designed and built their own home. They found their dream home on the shore of a lake. They hope to sell as many computers on the home market as they export. They run a retirement home for the elderly. This computer is marketed for home use. Try calling me on my home number after six o’clock. We are offering a free 15-day home trial on our software. We have a home movie of my dad teaching me to swim. We have to provide a good home for the children. Work begins this week on a purpose-built home for the city’s homeless. a laser printer aimed at the home user a shelter for people with no permanent home a temporary home for the paintings children from a broken home home-grown vegetables home-made bread seamen serving in home waters the market for home entertainment systems the party’s spokesman for home affairs A family of four was rescued early this morning when fire ripped through their terraced home. Eventually she had to give up her house and go into a nursing home. He refused to give up his house and garden and go into a retirement home. His children were upset when he sold the family home. I had always thought of India as my spiritual home. I often think about my friends back home. I’ll call you from home later. Juliet left England and made Spain her home. My grandmother moved into an old people’s home two years ago. Nora’s parents lost custody, and she was placed in a children’s home. Nowadays a lot of people work from home. She comes from a broken home. She had to move to a residential care home when her health deteriorated. She left home and began an independent life at sixteen. She made her home in Spain. The centre provides an adoption programme for pets needing new homes. The tiger’s home is in the jungle. We bought a holiday home in France. We haven’t found a home for all my father’s books yet.Idioms
- 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 somebody’s own country, not in a foreign country The president is not as popular at home as he is abroad.
- 4if 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?
- 1away 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.
- 2if 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.
house, etc.
(saying) you should help and care for your own family, etc. before you start helping other people
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. See related entries: Embarrassment
(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. More Like ThisAlliteration in idioms belt and braces, (beat somebody) black and blue, born and bred, chalk and cheese, chop and change, done and dusted, down and dirty, in dribs and drabs, eat somebody out of house and home, facts and figures, fast and furious, first and foremost, forgive and forget, hale and hearty, hem and haw, kith and kin, mix and match, part and parcel of something, puff and pant, go to rack and ruin, rant and rave, risk life and limb, short and sweet, signed and sealed, spic and span, through thick and thin, this and that, top and tail something, tried and tested/trusted, wax and waneSee worksheet.
a home from home (British English) (North American English a home away from home) jump to other results
(saying) a home is where the people you love are
(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 (US English) (British English an Englishman’s home is his castle) jump to other results
(British English) (used especially about a couple) to start living in a new place They got married and set up home together in Hull.
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.
(British English, humorous) used to emphasize a question about somebody/something Who's she when she's at home? (= I don't know her)
Check pronunciation: home
