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

An 80-mph dribbler down the third-base line may not have been what Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes had in mind to kick off his Sacramento homecoming. —Sacbee.com, 13 July 2025

Fried, meanwhile, will still get his homecoming, as the Yankees open the second half in Atlanta. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 11 July 2025

Baylor hosted a halftime celebration during homecoming in Waco with A&M in town. —David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025

But when Dexter relapsed back into killing and exposed his son to the family trade, the homecoming turned sour and Dexter begged his kid to shoot him–– and Harrison obliged. —Hunter Ingram, Variety, 11 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for homecoming

• overcoming
• unbecoming
• becoming
• forthcoming
• incoming
• oncoming
• shortcoming
• succumbing
• upcoming
• coming
• cumming
• drumming

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