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at home
/ət hoʊm/
in one's own house
She feels most relaxed at home.
She feels most relaxed in her own house.
informal
in one's own house or place of residence
I prefer to work at home today.
I prefer to work in my own house today.
We had a quiet evening at home.
We had a quiet evening in our own house.
This phrase is commonly used to refer to one's personal living space.
informal
comfortable or familiar with something
She is at home with classical music.
She is comfortable and familiar with classical music.
He feels at home in the mountains.
He feels comfortable and familiar in the mountains.
This figurative use emphasizes a sense of belonging or familiarity.
Collocations
stay at hometo remain in one's own housework at hometo do one's job from homefeel at hometo feel comfortable and familiar
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Literal vs. Figurative Use
Remember that 'at home' can refer to a physical location or a sense of comfort, depending on the context.
Gold Rule
Context Matters
Always consider the context to determine whether 'at home' is being used literally or figuratively.
Word Origin
The phrase 'at home' combines the preposition 'at' with the noun 'home' to indicate a location or state of being in one's personal living space. The figurative use to mean 'comfortable' emerged in the 19th century.
Usage Notes
The phrase can be used both literally to refer to a physical location and figuratively to describe a sense of comfort or familiarity.
Word Breakdown
at
in or near a specific location
prepositionhome
one's place of residence or a place of comfort
nounEnglish Dictionary