–noun

1.	a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household.

2.	the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.

3.	an institution for the homeless, sick, etc.: a nursing home.

4.	the dwelling place or retreat of an animal.

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5.	the place or region where something is native or most common.

6.	any place of residence or refuge: a heavenly home.

7.	a person's native place or own country.

8.	(in games) the destination or goal.

9.	a principal base of operations or activities: The new stadium will be the home of the local football team.

10.	Baseball. home plate.

11.	Lacrosse. one of three attack positions nearest the opposing goal.

–adjective

12.	of, pertaining to, or connected with one's home or country; domestic: home products.

13.	principal or main: the corporation's home office.

14.	reaching the mark aimed at: a home thrust.

15.	Sports. played in a ball park, arena, or the like, that is or is assumed to be the center of operations of a team: The pitcher didn't lose a single home game all season. Compare away (def. 11).

–adverb

16.	to, toward, or at home: to go home.

17.	deep; to the heart: The truth of the accusation struck home.

18.	to the mark or point aimed at: He drove the point home.

19.	Nautical. a. into the position desired; perfectly or to the greatest possible extent: sails sheeted home. b. in the proper, stowed position: The anchor is home. c. toward its vessel: to bring the anchor home.

–verb (used without object)

20.	to go or return home.

21.	(of guided missiles, aircraft, etc.) to proceed, esp. under control of an automatic aiming mechanism, toward a specified target, as a plane, missile, or location (often fol. by in on): The missile homed in on the target.

22.	to navigate toward a point by means of coordinates other than those given by altitudes.

23.	to have a home where specified; reside.

–verb (used with object)

24.	to bring or send home.

25.	to provide with a home.

26.	to direct, esp. under control of an automatic aiming device, toward an airport, target, etc.

—Idioms

27.

at home, a. in one's own house or place of residence. b. in one's own town or country. c. prepared or willing to receive social visits: Tell him I'm not at home. We are always at home to her. d. in a situation familiar to one; at ease: She has a way of making everyone feel at home. e. well-informed; proficient: to be at home in the classics. f. played in one's hometown or on one's own grounds: The Yankees played two games at home and one away.

28.	bring home to, to make evident to; clarify or emphasize for: The irrevocability of her decision was brought home to her.

29.	home and dry, British Informal. having safely achieved one's goal.

30.	home free, a. assured of finishing, accomplishing, succeeding, etc.: If we can finish more than half the work today, we'll be home free. b. certain to be successfully finished, accomplished, secured, etc.: With most of the voters supporting it, the new law is home free.

31.	write home about, to comment especially on; remark on: The town was nothing to write home about. His cooking is really something to write home about.

–noun

1.	an act of improving or the state of being improved.

2.	a change or addition by which a thing is improved.

3.	a person ea3 or thing that represents an advance on another in excellence or achievement: The new landlord is a great improvement over his greedy predecessor.

4.	a bringing into a more valuable or desirable condition, as of land or real property; betterment.

5.	something done or added to real property that increases its value.

6.	profitable use, as of a period of time.

–noun

1.	a written or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers.

2.	a number of sheets of blank or ruled paper bound together for writing, recording business transactions, etc.

3.	a division of a literary work, esp. one of the larger divisions.

4.	the Book, the Bible.

5.	Music. the text or libretto of an opera, operetta, or musical.

6.	books. book of account.

7.	Jazz. the total repertoire of a band.

8.	a script or story for a play.

9.	a record of bets, as on a horse race.

10.	Cards. the number of basic tricks or cards that must be taken before any trick or card counts in the score.

11.	a set or packet of tickets, checks, stamps, matches, etc., bound together like a book.

12.	anything that serves for the recording of facts or events: The petrified tree was a book of Nature.

13.	Sports. a collection of facts and information about the usual 555 playing habits, weaknesses, methods, etc., of an opposing team or player, esp. in baseball: The White Sox book on Mickey Mantle cautioned pitchers to keep the ball fast and high.

14.	Stock Exchange. a. the customers served by each registered representative in a brokerage house. b. a loose-leaf binder kept by a specialist to record orders to buy and sell stock at specified prices.

15.	a pile or package of leaves, as of tobacco.

16.	Mineralogy. a thick block or crystal of mica.

17.	a magazine: used esp. in magazine publishing.

7f1

18.	book value.

19.	Slang. bookmaker (def. 1).

20.	the book, a. a set of rules, conventions, or standards: The solution was not according to the book but it served the purpose. b. the telephone book: I've looked him up, but he's not in the book.

–verb (used with object)

21.	to enter in a book or list; record; register.

22.	to reserve or make a reservation for (a hotel room, passage on a ship, etc.): We booked a table at our favorite restaurant.

23.	to register or list (a person) for a place, transportation, appointment, etc.: The travel agent booked us for next week's cruise.

24.	to engage for one or more performances.

25.	to enter an official charge against (an arrested suspect) on a police register.

26.	to act as a bookmaker for (a bettor, bet, or sum of money): The Philadelphia syndicate books 25 million dollars 3e8 a year on horse racing.

–verb (used without object)

27.	to register one's name.

28.	to engage a place, services, etc.

29.	Slang. a. to study hard, as a student before an exam: He left the party early to book. b. to leave; depart: I'm bored with this party, let's book. c. to work as a bookmaker: He started a restaurant with money he got from booking.

–adjective

30.	of or pertaining to a book or books: the book department; a book salesman.

31.	derived or learned from or based on books: a book knowledge of sailing.

32.	shown by a book of account: The firm's book profit was $53,680.

—Verb phrases

33.	book in, to sign in, as at a job.

34.	book out, to sign out, as at a job.

35.	book up, to sell out in advance: The hotel is booked up for the Christmas holidays.

—Idioms

36.	bring to book, to call to account; bring to justice: Someday he will be brought to book for his misdeeds.

37.	by the book, according to the correct or established form; in the usual manner: an unimaginative individual who does everything by the book.

38.	close the books, to balance accounts at the end of an accounting period; settle accounts.

39.	cook the books, Informal. cook (def. 10).

40.	in one's bad books, out of favor; disliked by someone: He's in the boss's bad books.

41.	in one's book, in one's personal judgment or opinion: In my book, he's not to be trusted.

42.	in one's good books, in favor; liked by someone.

43.	like a book, completely; thoroughly: She knew the area like a book.

44.	make book, a. to accept or place the bets of others, as on horse races, esp. as a business. b. to wager; bet: You can make book on it that he won't arrive in time.

47f

45.	off the books, done or performed for cash or without keeping full business records: esp. as a way to avoid paying income tax, employment benefits, etc.: Much of his work as a night watchman is done off the books.

46.	one for the book or books, a noteworthy incident; something extraordinary: The daring rescue was one for the book.

47.	on the books, entered in a list or record: He claims to have graduated from Harvard, but his name is not on the books.

48.	throw the book at, Informal. a. to sentence (an offender, la be7 wbreaker, etc.) to the maximum penalties for all charges against that person. b. to punish or chide severely.

49.	without book, a. from memory. b. without authority: to punish without book.

50.	write the book, to be the prototype, originator, leader, etc., of: So far as investment banking is concerned, they wrote the book.