1 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Your homeland is your native country. [mainly WRITTEN ] □ Many are planning to return to their homeland.
2 N‑COUNT The homelands were regions within South Africa in which black South Africans had a limited form of self-government.
home|less ◆◇◇ /hoʊ mləs/ ADJ Homeless people have nowhere to live. □ …the growing number of homeless families. □ Hundreds were made homeless. ● N‑PLURAL The homeless are people who are homeless. □ …shelters for the homeless. ● home|less|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ The only way to solve homelessness is to provide more homes.
home|ly /hoʊ mli/
1 ADJ If you describe a room or house as homely , you like it because you feel comfortable and relaxed there. [mainly BRIT , APPROVAL ] □ We try and provide a very homely atmosphere. in AM, usually use homey 2 ADJ If you describe a woman as homely , you mean that she has a warm, comforting manner and looks like someone who would enjoy being at home and having a family. [BRIT ] □ Mrs Jones was a pleasant, homely person with a ready smile.
3 ADJ If you say that someone is homely , you mean that they are not very attractive to look at. [AM ] □ The man was homely and overweight.
ho me-ma de ADJ Something that is home-made has been made in someone's home, rather than in a shop or factory. □ The bread, pastry and mayonnaise are home-made. □ A home-made bomb exploded during the disturbances.
home|maker /hoʊ mme I kə r / (homemakers ) N‑COUNT A homemaker is a woman who spends a lot of time looking after her home and family. If you describe a woman as a homemaker , you usually mean that she does not have another job.
Ho me Of|fice N‑PROPER The Home Office is the department of the British Government which is responsible for things such as the police, broadcasting, and making decisions about people who want to come to live in Britain.
homeo|path /hoʊ mioʊpæθ/ (homeopaths ) in BRIT, also use homoeopath N‑COUNT A homeopath is someone who treats illness by homeopathy.
homeo|path|ic /hoʊ mioʊpæ θ I k/ in BRIT, also use homoeopathic ADJ [usu ADJ n] Homeopathic means relating to or used in homeopathy. □ …homeopathic remedies.
homeopa|thy /hoʊ miɒ pəθi/ in BRIT, also use homoeopathy N‑UNCOUNT Homeopathy is a way of treating an illness in which the patient is given very small amounts of a drug that produces signs of the illness in healthy people.
ho me own|er (home owners ) also homeowner N‑COUNT A home owner is a person who owns the house or flat that they live in.
ho me page (home pages ) also homepage N‑COUNT On the internet, a person's or organization's home page is the main page of information about them, which often contains links to other pages about them.
ho me ru le N‑UNCOUNT If a country or region has home rule , it has its own independent government and laws.
Ho me Se c|re|tary (Home Secretaries ) N‑COUNT The Home Secretary is the member of the British government who is in charge of the Home Office.
ho me sho p|ping N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Home shopping is shopping that people do by ordering goods from their homes, using catalogues, television channels, or computers. □ …America's most successful home-shopping channel.
home|sick /hoʊ ms I k/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are homesick , you feel unhappy because you are away from home and are missing your family, friends, and home very much. □ She's feeling a little homesick. ● home|sick|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ There were inevitable bouts of homesickness.
home|spun /hoʊ mspʌn/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use homespun to describe opinions or ideas that are simple and not based on special knowledge. □ The book is simple homespun philosophy.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Homespun clothes are made from cloth that has been made at home, rather than in a factory.
home|stead /hoʊ msted/ (homesteads )
1 N‑COUNT A homestead is a farmhouse, together with the land around it.
2 N‑COUNT In United States history, a homestead was a piece of government land in the west, which was given to someone so they could settle there and develop a farm. [AM ]
ho me stretch in BRIT, also use home straight 1 N‑SING The home stretch or the home straight is the last part of a race. □ He was passed by six athletes down the home straight.
2 N‑SING You can refer to the last part of any activity that lasts for a long time as the home stretch or the home straight , especially if the activity is difficult or boring. □ …as his two hours of banter, quips and anecdotes goes into the home straight.
home|town /hoʊ mtaʊ n/ (hometowns ) also home town N‑COUNT [with poss] Someone's hometown is the town where they live or the town that they come from.
ho me tru th (home truths ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Home truths are unpleasant facts that you learn about yourself, usually from someone else. [BRIT ] □ We held a team meeting and a few home truths were spelled out.
home|ward /hoʊ mwə r d/ also homewards
1 ADJ [ADJ n] If you are on a homeward journey, you are on a journey towards your home. □ She is ready for her homeward journey.
2 ADV [ADV after v] If you are travelling homeward or homewards , you are travelling towards your home. □ John drove homeward through the lanes.
ho me|ward bou nd ADJ People or things that are homeward bound are on their way home. □ I'd be homeward bound even before Grant arrived.
home|work /hoʊ mwɜː r k/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Homework is school work that teachers give to pupils to do at home in the evening or at the weekend. □ Have you done your homework, Gemma?