homecoming

noun

home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkə-miŋ How to pronounce homecoming (audio)
1
: a return home
a soldier's homecoming
2
: the return of a group of people usually on a special occasion to a place formerly frequented or regarded as home
especially : an annual celebration for alumni at a high school, college, or university
often used before another noun
a homecoming rally
homecoming weekend
the annual homecoming game/dance
was elected the homecoming queen

Examples of homecoming in a Sentence

A large crowd gathered at the airport for the soldiers' homecoming.
Recent Examples on the Web The sophomore scholar takes to the hardwood in three varsity basketball games culminating in Seneca High’s homecoming game Friday night. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 After years of working in Charleston, Greg’s move back to Southern California was a celebrated homecoming. Michael Chin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The game was a homecoming for Brown, who had two stints with the Cavs (2006-10 and 2013-14). Tom Withers, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024 She’s held homecoming events in both locations in the last two weeks. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The William Horlick High School junior looked forward to making new friends, seeing the Friday night lights at the homecoming game and dressing up for her first homecoming dance. Journal Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024 Returning to this record then, with its new polish and poise, is a kind of homecoming celebration. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2024 Quinones, who played for the University of Memphis, had 10 points and six rebounds in his homecoming. Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024 Hailing originally from Queensland, the presentation will be a homecoming of sort for Robbie. Patrick Frater, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homecoming.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of homecoming was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near homecoming

Cite this Entry

“Homecoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homecoming. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

homecoming

noun
home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkəm-ing How to pronounce homecoming (audio)
1
: a return home
2
a
: the return of a group of people usually on a special occasion to a place formerly frequented
b
: a yearly celebration for alumni at a school

More from Merriam-Webster on homecoming

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!