homes
homes — noun
1. the building, flat, or other place where a person sleeps, keeps their things, an
the building, flat, or other place where a person sleeps, keeps their things, and usually lives together with members of their family.
Kasia invited her classmates to her new home for a small birthday party.
possessive + home for the place someone lives
After the long flight from Manila, Lakan was happy to be back home.
be + home as 'at one's residence'
Caleb leaves home at seven every morning to catch the school bus.
The Watanabe family keeps their old photo albums in a cupboard at home.
Nicholas works from home on Fridays so he can pick up his daughter from school.
文法句型
[possessive] + home
at home
用法筆記
Often used without an article in fixed expressions: 'go home', 'at home', 'leave home'. Distinguish from sense 2 (property to buy/sell): sense 1 stresses the living and family aspect, not the building as an asset.
常見錯誤
2. a house, apartment, or other dwelling treated as something with a price that a p
a house, apartment, or other dwelling treated as something with a price that a person can purchase, rent out, or sell on the market.
Hamza and his wife are saving every month to buy their first home in Birmingham.
buy + home as real-estate purchase
The estate agent showed Ignacio three homes in the same quiet neighbourhood.
homes as countable real-estate units
Rising interest rates have made it harder for young couples to afford a home.
Vivek sold his old home in Pune before moving to Toronto for the new job.
Many homes in this coastal town are owned by people who only visit in summer.
文法句型
buy / sell / own + a home
用法筆記
Subject is usually a buyer, seller, owner, or the market itself. Distinguish from sense 1 (where you live): sense 2 frames the dwelling as a financial asset rather than a place of family life.
常見錯誤
3. the family and household conditions that someone grew up in, including the relat
the family and household conditions that someone grew up in, including the relationships and atmosphere between the parents, children, and other relatives.
Eshe comes from a loving home where the children were always read to at bedtime.
from a [adjective] home for upbringing
Many of the students at the shelter come from broken homes.
broken home as a fixed phrase
Ilan grew up in a strict religious home in northern Israel.
Children from stable homes tend to do better at school in the early years.
文法句型
from a + [adjective] + home
用法筆記
Typically modified by an adjective describing the family atmosphere: 'loving', 'broken', 'happy', 'strict', 'stable'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about the people and relationships, not the physical place.
4. a building organised as a service whose staff house and look after residents — u
a building organised as a service whose staff house and look after residents — usually elderly people, children without families, or animals without owners — on a long-term basis.
Élise visits her grandfather at the nursing home every Sunday afternoon.
nursing home as institutional residence
The dogs at the animal home in Brighton are checked by a vet twice a week.
animal home as institution for animals
After her stroke, Christopher's mother moved into a care home near the river.
The children's home in the village houses about thirty boys and girls.
- institution
more formal and general; covers schools and hospitals too
- shelter
shelter implies short-term refuge; a home implies longer residence and routine care
文法句型
[adjective / noun] + home
in a + home
用法筆記
Almost always appears with a modifier naming the residents: 'nursing home', 'care home', 'children's home', 'animal home'. Without the modifier, readers default to sense 1.
5. the area, country, or natural setting that something or someone originally comes
the area, country, or natural setting that something or someone originally comes from, or a place that feels deeply familiar and gives someone a strong sense of belonging.
Sicily is the home of many classic Italian pasta dishes.
[place] is the home of [thing] for origin
Brandon was born in Canada, but he calls Tokyo home after twenty years there.
call [place] home for belonging
The remote islands are home to several rare seabirds.
After moving from city to city for work, Femi finally feels at home in Lagos again.
- birthplace
birthplace is strictly where one was born; home can be where one feels they belong
- habitat
habitat is used for animals and plants; home covers people, animals, and ideas
- origin
more abstract; home implies a stronger emotional or cultural tie
文法句型
the home of + [noun]
[place] is home to
用法筆記
Two common patterns: 'the home of X' (origin) and 'be home to X' (habitat). 'Feel at home' extends the sense to mean comfortable and accepted, not necessarily in one's birthplace.
6. the country, region, or local area that a person belongs to by birth or upbringi
the country, region, or local area that a person belongs to by birth or upbringing, often mentioned when speaking from abroad.
While studying in Berlin, Hannah missed the spicy food back home in Seoul.
back home for one's country abroad
Anjali still reads the morning news from home every day on her phone.
news from home for country of origin
Sales of the new phone were stronger at home than in foreign markets.
Astrid plans to visit her parents back home in Norway over Christmas.
- abroad
abroad means outside one's home country
文法句型
back home
news from home
用法筆記
Often uncountable in this sense. Frequent collocations: 'back home', 'news from home', 'at home and abroad'. Speaker is usually located somewhere else and contrasting two places.
常見錯誤
7. the sports field, stadium, or court where a team usually plays and trains, or a
the sports field, stadium, or court where a team usually plays and trains, or a match that takes place at this venue.
Arsenal will play their next three matches at home before the long away trip.
play + at home in football context
The crowd at home was much louder than in the visitors' stadium.
at home as the team's own venue
Anya scored two goals during the home against the league leaders.
Liverpool have lost only one home all season.
- home ground
more explicit; emphasises the field itself
- home turf
informal; often used figuratively for any familiar territory
- away
away is the opposing team's venue
文法句型
at home
play at home
用法筆記
In the 'venue' reading, almost always preceded by 'at': 'play at home', 'win at home'. In the 'match' reading (countable, less common), 'a home' / 'two homes' refers to home games.
8. in the sport of baseball, the white rubber slab beside the batter that a runner
in the sport of baseball, the white rubber slab beside the batter that a runner has to touch with a foot or hand to win a point for their team.
Emma slid into home just before the catcher could tag her out.
slide into home in baseball play
The runner on third was waved toward home by the coach.
toward home as the scoring base
Lucía reached home safely and gave her team the lead in the ninth inning.
The umpire crouched behind home to call the pitches.
- home plate
the full term; 'home' is the short form used during play
文法句型
slide into + home
reach + home
用法筆記
Short for 'home plate'. Common in baseball commentary and reports; rare outside the sport. Distinguish from sense 7 (the whole venue): sense 8 is one specific base on the diamond.
homes — adjective
1. describing things linked to the building, flat, or address where someone lives,
describing things linked to the building, flat, or address where someone lives, such as the telephone number, address, or daily life there.
Please leave your home address on the form so we can post the package.
home + noun (address)
Eshe gave the dentist her home number in case of an emergency.
home number as residence phone
The home life of busy doctors is often disrupted by night shifts.
Caleb keeps his work clothes and home clothes in separate drawers.
- domestic
more formal; covers a wider range including national affairs
- residential
residential describes areas of housing; home describes things attached to the residence itself
- work
work address/number contrasts directly with home address/number
文法句型
home + [noun]
用法筆記
Used only before a noun, never after 'be'. Common nouns it modifies: 'address', 'number', 'phone', 'life'.
常見錯誤
2. describing food, repairs, or other activities made by people themselves inside t
describing food, repairs, or other activities made by people themselves inside the place where they live, rather than bought ready-made or hired out.
Hamza brought a jar of home jam made from the plums in his garden.
home + [food] for self-prepared
The smell of home baking filled the kitchen all Sunday morning.
home baking as an activity at home
Nicholas tried a home repair on the broken chair before calling a carpenter.
Astrid loves the warm taste of her grandmother's home cooking.
- shop-bought
shop-bought describes goods made commercially rather than at home
文法句型
home + [noun]
用法筆記
Always attributive. Often forms tight compounds: 'home cooking', 'home baking', 'home brew', 'home repair'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 emphasises being PRODUCED at home; sense 1 emphasises BELONGING TO the residence.
3. describing matters that concern the family circle and personal life rather than
describing matters that concern the family circle and personal life rather than work, study, or public life.
Anjali tries not to bring home worries into the office during the week.
home + worries for family matters
After the divorce, Christopher's home situation became much calmer.
home situation as family circumstance
Femi's tutor noticed that his grades dropped because of trouble in his home environment.
The counsellor asked about Hannah's home circumstances before suggesting any plan.
- work
the standard contrast: work life vs home life
文法句型
home + [noun]
用法筆記
Attributive only; modifies abstract nouns like 'life', 'environment', 'circumstances', 'worries'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 picks out objects tied to the address; sense 3 picks out the emotional and relational sphere of the family.
4. describing affairs, markets, or products that belong to or take place inside a c
describing affairs, markets, or products that belong to or take place inside a country, in contrast with foreign or international ones.
Japanese carmakers earn most of their profits outside the home market.
home market contrasted with foreign
Ignacio writes about home affairs for a national newspaper in Madrid.
home affairs as domestic politics
The brewery sells most of its beer to home buyers and exports very little.
Vivek follows news about both home and foreign politics every morning.
文法句型
home + [noun]
用法筆記
Always attributive. Frequent collocations: 'home market', 'home affairs', 'home country', 'home buyers'. The opposite is usually 'foreign' or 'overseas'.
5. in sports, describing the team that is hosting a match in its own city or stadiu
in sports, describing the team that is hosting a match in its own city or stadium, or anything connected with such a team.
The home team scored two goals in the first ten minutes against the visitors.
home team as host side
Anya cheered loudly with the rest of the home crowd in the stadium.
home crowd at host venue
Brandon prefers watching home games because the tickets are cheaper.
The home supporters were quiet after the goalkeeper let in an easy goal.
- host
host team / host city is more formal; home is the everyday word
文法句型
home + [noun]
用法筆記
Attributive only. Always contrasted with 'away'. Frequent collocations: 'home team', 'home crowd', 'home game', 'home fans'.
homes — adverb
1. moving toward or arriving at the building where a person usually lives, used dir
moving toward or arriving at the building where a person usually lives, used directly after the verb without any preposition.
Kasia walked home through the park after her piano lesson.
walk home with no preposition
Caleb's father drives him home from football practice every Tuesday.
drive [someone] home as a fixed pattern
After three days of travelling, Lakan finally got home just before midnight.
The Watanabe children ran home as soon as the rain started.
- back
back is more general direction; home specifies the residence
文法句型
[verb of motion] + home
用法筆記
Never used with 'to' in this sense: 'go home', NOT 'go to home'. After verbs of motion only — 'walk', 'run', 'drive', 'go', 'come', 'get'.
常見錯誤
2. moving to or arriving in the country or region a person originally comes from, o
moving to or arriving in the country or region a person originally comes from, often after a long stay somewhere else.
After ten years in Canada, Vivek decided to fly home to India for good.
fly home to [country] for return
Many migrant workers send most of their wages home every month.
send [money] home for remittance
Femi has not been home to Lagos since the start of the pandemic.
The journalist was finally sent home after the embassy intervened.
- back
back to one's country; home adds emotional weight
- abroad
abroad is the opposite direction — out of the home country
文法句型
[motion verb] + home
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (to the residence): sense 2 is about a country or wider region, usually contrasted with abroad. The verb 'send home' often appears in formal contexts (embassy, employer).
3. all the way to the intended target or to the deepest, most painful or moving poi
all the way to the intended target or to the deepest, most painful or moving point, often used figuratively when a message or feeling is fully understood or felt.
The coach drove the message home to the players: nobody is bigger than the team.
drive [something] home for emphasis
The news of his friend's accident really hit home for Brandon.
hit home for emotional impact
Hannah pushed the dagger home with both hands during the play's final scene.
Anjali's quiet remark about loneliness struck home with everyone in the room.
文法句型
drive / hit / strike + home
hit home
用法筆記
Almost always with one of a small set of verbs: 'drive', 'hit', 'strike', 'push', 'press'. The figurative reading ('the message hit home') is far more common in modern English than the literal one.
homes — verb
1. for an animal, especially a bird, to find its way back accurately to its startin
for an animal, especially a bird, to find its way back accurately to its starting place over a long distance, often guided by instinct.
Carrier pigeons home with surprising accuracy even when released hundreds of kilometres away.
[bird] + homes for return
The salmon home to the same river where they were born to lay their eggs.
home + to [place of origin]
Ilan watched the swallows home to their nest under the barn roof.
Scientists in Bristol study how sea turtles home to the beach where they hatched.
- return
return is general; home implies long-distance, instinct-driven navigation
文法句型
[animal / bird] + homes
用法筆記
Subject is almost always an animal with strong navigation ability. Often followed by 'to + [place of birth or nest]'. Rare in everyday conversation; common in nature writing and science.
2. to move or focus steadily on a specific target, usually by tracking a signal, sc
to move or focus steadily on a specific target, usually by tracking a signal, scent, or visible mark — almost always used with 'in on' or 'on'.
The missile homed in on the heat from the engine and exploded above the runway.
home in on [heat source]
Reporters quickly homed in on the mayor's most controversial comment from the speech.
home in on figurative target
The rescue dog homed in on the missing child within twenty minutes.
Lucía's analysis homed in on the single weak point in the company's strategy.
- zero in on
very similar in meaning and register; both are common in journalism
- target
target is more general; home in on implies progressive focusing
文法句型
home in on + [object]
home on + [signal]
用法筆記
Almost always paired with 'in on' in modern English. The figurative use (homing in on a topic, weakness, person) is now more common than the literal missile or animal use.
常見錯誤
3. to find a suitable place to live for an animal or sometimes a person who has now
to find a suitable place to live for an animal or sometimes a person who has nowhere to go, especially through a shelter or charity.
The Brighton shelter has homed over a thousand stray dogs since it opened.
home + [stray animal]
Volunteers worked all weekend to home the cats rescued from the abandoned building.
home + [rescued animals]
The charity tries to home older horses with experienced riders in quiet villages.
Local councils have struggled to home the families left without shelter after the floods.
文法句型
home + [animal / person]
home + [animal] + with
用法筆記
Mostly used in animal-rescue and housing contexts. Object is the animal or person being placed, not the home itself. Often passive: 'the dog was homed with a family in Sheffield'.