do·mes·tic
də-ˈme-stik 
1
a
: living near or about human habitations
domestic vermin
b
: tame, domesticated
the domestic cat
2
: of, relating to, or originating within a country and especially one's own country
domestic politics
domestic wines
domestic manufacturing
all debts foreign and domestic
3
: of or relating to the household or the family
domestic chores
domestic happiness
4
: devoted to home duties and pleasures
leading a quietly domestic life
5
: indigenous
a domestic species
1
: a servant hired to work for a household
Her grandmother worked as a domestic.
2
: an article (such as a rug or blanket) manufactured within one's own country or for use in a household : an article of domestic (see domestic entry 1 sense 2) manufacture
—usually used in plural
Synonyms
Examples of domestic in a Sentence
Adjective
The company hopes to attract both foreign and domestic investors.
the surest way to maintain domestic peace and harmony is to have everyone pitch in on chores
Noun
She got in a domestic with her husband.
working as a team, the couple hired themselves out as domestics for wealthy homeowners
Recent Examples on the Web
Marnie Hunter, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
To be eligible for the draft, domestic players must turn 22 years old during the calendar year of the event or have graduated from a four-year university prior to, or within the three months after, the draft.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The most recent fatal crash of a domestic commercial jetliner was in 2009.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Defenders of Ukraine’s strategy accuse the White House of prioritizing domestic politics over Kyiv’s military goals.
—John Hudson, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Iran is also going through a slow and complicated transition as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader and commander in chief, is said to be ailing and faced a 2022 domestic uprising, led by women, that demanded an end to clerical rule.
—Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The latest film in the MonsterVerse franchise earned an additional $15.4 million, bringing its domestic tally to $157.9 million.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024
When facing problems from bullying to domestic abuse, few know what to do or where to go.
—Takehiko Kambayashi, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Apr. 2024
Southwest requires passengers to make their claim within four hours of arrival for a domestic flight or within seven days for an international itinerary.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024
Art Kane: No one ever heard about it because … no one covers … DUIs and domestics, and that flew under the radar.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2024
Work in auto plants provided an advancement for Black people who had been disproportionately restricted to such jobs as domestics, chauffeurs, custodians and farm laborers, according to Sugrue's report.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 23 Sep. 2023
Yet many domestics appear basically indistinguishable from wildcats.
—Jonathan Losos, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023
His father was a shipping clerk for Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and his mother worked as a domestic.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
In his 2020 memoir Let Love Rule, Lenny wrote that Roxie was raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, by her father Albert Roker, a Bahamian immigrant, and her mother, who was born in Georgia and worked as a domestic.
—Charlotte Walsh, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2023
Wiley claimed that the detainee in question was kin to one of his domestics.
—Time, 29 July 2023
Friday's happy hour specials include $3.50 domestics, $3.75 imports, $4.25 small house margaritas, $4.50 large rail drinks, $5 Cazadores Reposado and Patron Silver shots, and $6 Don Julio Blanco shots.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 4 May 2023
Adjective
Globally, passenger traffic in 2023 grew by 27% from 2022 to reach nearly 94% of 2019 results, with domestic travel rebounding more quickly from the pandemic — growing by 20% from 2022 to reach almost 97% of 2019 levels.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
To be eligible for the draft, domestic players must turn 22 years old during the calendar year of the event or have graduated from a four-year university prior to, or within the three months after, the draft.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The most recent fatal crash of a domestic commercial jetliner was in 2009.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Defenders of Ukraine’s strategy accuse the White House of prioritizing domestic politics over Kyiv’s military goals.
—John Hudson, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Iran is also going through a slow and complicated transition as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader and commander in chief, is said to be ailing and faced a 2022 domestic uprising, led by women, that demanded an end to clerical rule.
—Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The latest film in the MonsterVerse franchise earned an additional $15.4 million, bringing its domestic tally to $157.9 million.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024
When facing problems from bullying to domestic abuse, few know what to do or where to go.
—Takehiko Kambayashi, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Apr. 2024
Southwest requires passengers to make their claim within four hours of arrival for a domestic flight or within seven days for an international itinerary.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Doubt eventually led to 2011’s The Help, an adaptation of the 2009 Kathryn Stockett best-selling novel ostensibly about African American domestics working for white families in 1960s Mississippi.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024
Art Kane: No one ever heard about it because … no one covers … DUIs and domestics, and that flew under the radar.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2024
Work in auto plants provided an advancement for Black people who had been disproportionately restricted to such jobs as domestics, chauffeurs, custodians and farm laborers, according to Sugrue's report.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 23 Sep. 2023
Yet many domestics appear basically indistinguishable from wildcats.
—Jonathan Losos, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023
His father was a shipping clerk for Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and his mother worked as a domestic.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
In his 2020 memoir Let Love Rule, Lenny wrote that Roxie was raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, by her father Albert Roker, a Bahamian immigrant, and her mother, who was born in Georgia and worked as a domestic.
—Charlotte Walsh, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2023
Wiley claimed that the detainee in question was kin to one of his domestics.
—Time, 29 July 2023
Friday's happy hour specials include $3.50 domestics, $3.75 imports, $4.25 small house margaritas, $4.50 large rail drinks, $5 Cazadores Reposado and Patron Silver shots, and $6 Don Julio Blanco shots.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 4 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'domestic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to domestic
Dictionary Entries Near domestic
Cite this Entry
“Domestic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/domestic. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
domestic
1 of 2 adjective
do·mes·tic
də-ˈmes-tik
1
a
: living near or about the places where human beings live
domestic vermin
b
: living with or under the care of human beings : tame
a domestic cat
2
: of, relating to, made in, or done in one's own country
domestic steel
3
: of or relating to a household or family
domestic chores
domestic
2 of 2 noun
: a household servant
Legal Definition
domestic
adjective
do·mes·tic
də-ˈmes-tik
1
: of or relating to the household or family
a domestic servant
domestic relations
see also family court
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