homecoming

noun

home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkə-miŋ 

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

At Albany State University in Georgia the following week, one person was fatally shot and four others injured during homecoming weekend. —Marquise Francis, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024

What's next: UCSD's home opener on Nov. 9 against Pepperdine is a main event for the school's homecoming weekend with a tailgate before game time. —Kate Murphy, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024

The attack was yet another example of gunfire interrupting ordinary American life, from parade routes to campus homecomings to a night out on the town. —Dalia Faheid, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024

Virgo Rising The next month or two might amount to a bit of a homecoming for you, but finding your way back to baseline might require taking a pretty circuitous route through your family photo albums, childhood memories, and old addresses. —Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

homecoming

noun

home·​com·​ing ˈhōm-ˌkəm-ing 

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