home
gb/hˈoʊm/ us/hˈoʊm/
A1
English
~ 600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
A person's usual place of living
The place where you live most of the time.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s home
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'home' with 'house'. 'Home' can mean the feeling or place of living, not just the building.
Synonyms
residence (More formal; often used in official contexts.)
|
house (Refers to the physical building, not always the emotional sense.)
Antonyms
workplace (A place where someone works, opposite of a living place.)
|
away (Being in a different place from home.)
Collocations
go home
|leave home
|return home
|at home
|home address
Themes
daily life
|family
|housing
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I can't wait to get home after work.
- They moved to a new home last year.
- Her home is in the countryside.
- Please make yourself at home while I prepare dinner.
Learner examples
- I go home after school.
- My home is near the park.
- We have a small home.
- She likes to be at home.
adverb
A1
relation
2
To or at one's residence
To or at the place you live.
Usage pattern:
go/come/return home
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes add 'to' after 'home' (e.g., 'go to home') which is incorrect in standard English.
Synonyms
back (Can mean returning somewhere, but not specific to residence.)
Antonyms
away (In a different place from one's residence.)
Collocations
come home
|go home early
|drive home
Themes
daily life
|travel
|daily_life
|housing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I went home after the meeting.
- She came home late last night.
- He is already home from school.
Learner examples
- I go home at 5 p.m.
- She comes home after work.
- We walk home together.
Noun
B1
entity
3
Institution for care or housing
A place where people who need help or cannot live alone stay and are looked after.
Synonyms
facility (Neutral and general term for a building providing services.)
Collocations
nursing home
|children's home
|care home
Themes
healthcare
|social issues
|health
|housing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She works in a nursing home for the elderly.
- He grew up in a children's home.
- The city opened a new care home last year.
Learner examples
- My grandmother lives in a nursing home.
- The boy lives in a children's home.
- They visit people in the care home.
Noun
B1
entity
4
Place of origin or belonging
The country or place you come from and feel is yours.
Synonyms
homeland (Formal and emotional; often used in patriotic contexts.)
Antonyms
foreign land (A country that is not your own.)
Collocations
home country
|home town
|far from home
Themes
identity
|culture
|relationships
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- After years abroad, he returned to his home country.
- She is far from home and misses her family.
- New York has always been my home.
Learner examples
- I live far from my home country.
- He goes back to his hometown every year.
- This city feels like home to me.
Verb
B2
action
5
Move toward target accurately
To move or aim directly at something.
Usage pattern:
home in on [something]
Synonyms
zero in on (Informal equivalent, especially for focusing attention.)
Collocations
home in on target
|home in on problem
Themes
movement
|focus
|communication
|science
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The missile homed in on its target.
- Reporters homed in on the scandal.
- She quickly homed in on the main issue.
Learner examples
- The bird homed in on the food.
- He homed in on the answer.
- They homed in on the goal.
Grammar
Dictionary form
home
IPA
GB/hˈoʊm/
US/hˈoʊm/
Syllables & stress
home (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (home)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: home
- Plural: home, homes
Verb
- Base: home
- 3rd Person Singular: homes
- Present Participle: homing
- Past: homed
Word family
Expressions
bring something home to someone
1/bɹˈɪŋ sˈʌmθɪŋ hˈoʊm tə sˈʌmwˌʌn/
idiom
Make person realize something important
To help someone understand something clearly, especially how serious it is.
Examples
- The accident brought home to me how dangerous driving can be.
- Her speech brought the issue home to the audience.
close to home
1/klˈoʊs tə hˈoʊm/
idiom
Personally relevant and emotional
If something is close to home, it affects you personally because it is similar to your own life or feelings.
Examples
- His comments about poverty hit close to home for many listeners.
- That movie was close to home for her after losing her father.
make yourself at home
1/mˈeɪk jʊɹsˈɛlf ˈæt hˈoʊm/
idiom
Act comfortably in another's place
To relax and act like you are in your own house when visiting someone else's place.
Examples
- Please come in and make yourself at home.
- She told me to make myself at home while she prepared dinner.
hit home
4/hˈɪt hˈoʊm/
idiom
Affect deeply because it's true/relevant
To make you feel something strongly because it is true about your own life.
Examples
- His words hit home when I saw the damage for myself.
- His words about hard work really hit home for me.
- The reality of losing her job hit home last night.
- The news report about climate change hit home when I saw the flooding in my town.
home sweet home
1/hˈoʊm swˈit hˈoʊm/
fixed phrase
Feeling happy to be at home
Used when you feel happy and comfortable to be back at your own house.
Examples
- After two weeks away, it was finally home sweet home.
- After two weeks abroad, it was nice to say, 'Home sweet home.'
- Home sweet home, she sighed as she sat on her sofa.
- We finally arrived—home sweet home!