definition of homework in dictionary

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Definition of homework

Examples of homework in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homework.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Dictionary Entries Near homework

Cite this entry.

“Homework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homework. Accessed 20 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of homework, more from merriam-webster on homework.

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for homework

Nglish: Translation of homework for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of homework for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about homework

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Definition of homework noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

• acquire/get/lack experience/training/(an) education
• receive/provide somebody with training
• develop/design/plan a curriculum/course/program/syllabus
• give/go to/attend a class/lesson/lecture/seminar
• hold/run/conduct a class/seminar/workshop
• moderate/lead/facilitate a discussion
• sign up for/take a course/classes/lessons
• go to/start preschool/kindergarten/nursery school
• be in the first, second, etc. grade (at school)
• study/take/drop history/chemistry/German, etc.
• finish/drop out of/quit school
• graduate from high school/college
• be the victim/target of bullying/teasing
• skip/cut/ ( informal ) ditch class/school
• cheat on an exam/a test
• get/be given a detention (for doing something)
• be expelled from/be suspended from school
• do your homework/a project on something
• work on/write/do/submit an essay/a dissertation/a thesis/an assignment/a paper
• finish/complete your dissertation/thesis/studies
• hand in/turn in your homework/essay/assignment/paper
• study/prepare/review/ ( informal ) cram for a test/an exam
• take/ ( formal ) sit for a test/an exam
• grade homework/a test
• do well on/ ( informal ) ace a test/an exam
• pass/fail/ ( informal ) flunk a test/an exam/a class/a course/a subject
• apply to/get into/go to/start college
• leave/graduate from college (with a degree in computer science)/law school
• study for/work towards a law degree/a degree in physics
• major/minor in biology/philosophy
• earn/receive/be awarded/get/have/hold a master's degree/a bachelor's degree/a Ph.D. in economics

Want to learn more?

Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

Definition of 'homework' homework

COBUILD Collocations homework assignment

Browse alphabetically homework assignment

• homework assignment
• homework club
• homework diary
• homework exercise
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'H'

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Basic Math Definitions

We have collected some basic definitions on this page. For more definitions, explanations, etc, use search above. Or look up your word in the Illustrated Mathematics Dictionary :

The Basic Operations

In basic mathematics there are many ways of saying the same thing:

Addition is ...

... bringing two or more numbers (or things) together to make a new total.

The numbers to be added together are called the " Addends ":

Subtraction is ...

... taking one number away from another.

Minuend :The number that is to be subtracted from. Subtrahend :The number that is to be subtracted. Difference : The result of subtracting one number from another.

Multiplication is ...

... (in its simplest form) repeated addition .

Here we see that 6+6+6 (three 6s) make 18:

It can also be said that 3+3+3+3+3+3 (six 3s) make 18

But we can also multiply by fractions or decimals, which goes beyond the simple idea of repeated addition:

Example: 3.5 × 5 = 17.5

which is 3.5 lots of 5, or 5 lots of 3.5

Division is ...

... splitting into equal parts or groups. It is the result of "fair sharing".

Division has its own special words to remember.

Let's take the simple question of 22 divided by 5 . The answer is 4 , with 2 left over.

Here we see the important words:

Which can also be in this form:

A Fraction is ...

... part of a whole.

The top part (the numerator) says how many parts we have .

The bottom part (the denominator) says how many parts the whole is divided into .

See Fractions for more details.

A Decimal Number is ...

... a number that contains a Decimal Point.

See Decimals for more details.

A Percentage is ...

... parts per 100. The symbol is %

Example: 25% means 25 per 100 (25% of this box is green)

See Percentages for more details.

Average (Mean) is ...

... the sum divided by the count .

We calculate the average by adding up all the values , then divide by how many values .

Example: What is the average of 9, 2, 12 and 5?

Add up all the values: 9 + 2 + 12 + 5 = 28

Divide by how many values (there are four of them): 28 ÷ 4 = 7

So the average is 7

See Mean for more details.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of homeworking in English

• We want to encourage flexibility in working patterns , including part-time and flexitime work , job-sharing , and homeworking.
• Of those companies already operating homeworking, 60% expect that the proportion of staff doing it will increase .
• Women are still much more likely than men to be engaged in part-time work or homeworking.
• She claims that homeworking has increased productivity as well as reducing overheads and improving staff retention .
• office politics
• office spouse
• self-starter

Word of the Day

hit the road

to leave a place or begin a journey

Searching out and tracking down: talking about finding or discovering things

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verb (used with object)

to lead a group on a cross-country hike.

Synonyms: precede , guide , accompany

Antonyms: follow

to lead a horse by a rope.

Subsequent events led him to reconsider his position.

Synonyms: convince , persuade

You can lead her around to your point of view if you are persistent.

• to conduct or bring (water, wire, etc.) in a particular course.

The first street on the left will lead you to Andrews Place.

The prisoners were led into the warden's office.

He led the Allied forces during the war.

The mayor will lead the parade.

The first baseman leads his teammates in runs batted in.

Synonyms: surpass , outstrip , excel

Iowa leads the nation in corn production.

The minister will now lead us in prayer. He led a peace movement.

• to act as leader of (an orchestra, band, etc.); conduct.

to lead a full life.

• Cards. to begin a round, game, etc., with (a card or suit specified).
• to aim and fire a firearm or cannon ahead of (a moving target) in order to allow for the travel of the target while the bullet or shell is reaching it.

The quarterback led the left end.

verb (used without object)

You lead and we'll follow.

That path leads directly to the house.

The band will lead and the troops will follow.

The incident led to his resignation. One remark often leads to another.

• to take the directing or principal part.

The contender led with a right to the body.

• Cards. to make the first play.

A properly trained horse will lead easily.

• Baseball. (of a base runner) to leave a base before the delivery of a pitch in order to reach the next base more quickly (often followed by away ).
• lead back, to play (a card) from a suit that one's partner led.

He took the lead in the race.

Synonyms: vanguard , head

He had a lead of four lengths.

• a person or thing that leads.

I got a lead on a new job. The phone list provided some great sales leads.

• a guide or indication of a road, course, method, etc., to follow.

They followed the lead of the capital in their fashions.

• the principal part in a play.
• the person who plays it.
• the act or right of playing first, as in a round.
• the card, suit, etc., so played.
• Journalism. lede ( def ) .
• Electricity. an often flexible and insulated single conductor, as a wire, used in connections between pieces of electric apparatus.
• the act of taking the offensive.
• the direction of a rope, wire, or chain.
• Also called leader . any of various devices for guiding a running rope.
• Naval Architecture. the distance between the center of lateral resistance and the center of effort of a sailing ship, usually expressed decimally as a fraction of the water-line length.
• an open channel through a field of ice.
• an auriferous deposit in an old riverbed.
• the act of aiming a gun ahead of a moving target.
• the distance ahead of a moving target that a gun must be aimed in order to score a direct hit.
• Baseball. an act or instance of leading.

The horse is cantering on the left lead.

lead editorial;

lead elephant;

lead designer.

• Football. (of a forward pass) thrown ahead of the intended receiver so as to allow him to catch it while running.

They forced the lead runner at third base on an attempted sacrifice.

verb phrase

• to induce to follow an unwise course of action; mislead.
• to cause or encourage to believe something that is not true.
• to take the initiative; begin.
• Baseball. to be the first player in the batting order or the first batter in an inning.
• to make a beginning.

He led her out and they began a rumba.

• Chemistry. a heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-gray metal, sometimes found in its natural state but usually combined as a sulfide, especially in galena. : Pb; : 207.19; : 82; : 11.34 at 20°C.
• something made of this metal or of one of its alloys.

Synonyms: plumb , weight

• bullets collectively; shot.
• black lead or graphite .
• a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.
• Also Printing. a thin strip of type metal or brass less than type-high, used for increasing the space between lines of type.
• a grooved bar of lead or came in which sections of glass are set, as in stained-glass windows.
• leads, British. a roof, especially one that is shallow or flat, covered with lead.
• white lead .
• to cover, line, weight, treat, or impregnate with lead or one of its compounds.
• Printing. to insert leads between the lines of.
• to fix (window glass) in position with leads.

a lead pipe; a lead compound.

lead the party into the garden

he led the horse by its reins

he led me to believe that he would go

• tr to phrase a question to (a witness) that tends to suggest the desired answer
• whenintr, foll by to (of a road, route, etc) to serve as the means of reaching a place
• tr to go ahead so as to indicate (esp in the phrase lead the way )

to lead an army

• tr to direct the course of or conduct (water, a rope or wire, etc) along or as if along a channel

to lead a discussion

he leads his class in geography

the newspaper led with the royal birth

• to play first violin in (an orchestra)
• intr (of an instrument or voice) to be assigned an important entry in a piece of music
• to direct and guide (one's partner) in a dance

I lead a miserable life

to lead a person a dog's life

this will only lead to misery

she led a diamond

• tr to aim at a point in front of (a moving target) in shooting, etc, in order to allow for the time of flight

southpaws lead with their right

• lead astray to mislead so as to cause error or wrongdoing
• lead by the nose See nose
• the first, foremost, or most prominent place

lead singer

the class followed the teacher's lead

the runner had a lead of twenty yards

• anything that guides or directs; indication; clue
• another name for leash
• the act or prerogative of playing the first card in a round of cards or the card so played
• the principal role in a play, film, etc, or the person playing such a role

the scandal was the lead in the papers

• the opening paragraph of a news story
• music an important entry assigned to one part usually at the beginning of a movement or section
• a wire, cable, or other conductor for making an electrical connection
• one's habitual attacking punch
• a blow made with this
• nautical the direction in which a rope runs
• a deposit of metal or ore; lode
• the firing of a gun, missile, etc, ahead of a moving target to correct for the time of flight of the projectile
• a heavy toxic bluish-white metallic element that is highly malleable: occurs principally as galena and used in alloys, accumulators, cable sheaths, paints, and as a radiation shield. Symbol: Pb; atomic no: 82; atomic wt: 207.2; valency: 2 or 4; relative density: 11.35; melting pt: 327.502°C; boiling pt: 1750°C plumbicplumbeousplumbous
• a lead weight suspended on a line used to take soundings of the depth of water
• swing the lead to malinger or make up excuses
• lead weights or shot, as used in cartridges, fishing lines, etc
• a thin grooved strip of lead for holding small panes of glass or pieces of stained glass
• thin sheets or strips of lead used as a roof covering
• a flat or low-pitched roof covered with such sheets
• printing a thin strip of type metal used for spacing between lines of hot-metal type Compare reglet
• graphite or a mixture containing graphite, clay, etc, used for drawing
• a thin stick of this material, esp the core of a pencil
• modifier of, consisting of, relating to, or containing lead
• go down like a lead balloon See balloon
• to fill or treat with lead
• to surround, cover, or secure with lead or leads
• printing to space (type) by use of leads
• A soft, ductile, heavy, bluish-gray metallic element that is extracted chiefly from galena. It is very durable and resistant to corrosion and is a poor conductor of electricity. Lead is used to make radiation shielding and containers for corrosive substances. It was once commonly used in pipes, solder, roofing, paint, and antiknock compounds in gasoline, but its use in these products has been curtailed because of its toxicity. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.2; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,744°C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4.
• See Periodic Table See Note at element

Discover More

Derived forms.

• ˈleadless , adjective
• ˈleady , adjective

Other Words From

• leadless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lead 1

Origin of lead 2

Idioms and Phrases

• get the lead out , Slang. to move or work faster; hurry up.
• go over like a lead balloon , Slang. to fail to arouse interest, enthusiasm, or support.
• heave the lead , Nautical. to take a sounding with a lead.
• lead someone a chase / dance , to cause someone difficulty by forcing to do irksome or unnecessary things.
• to prepare the way for.

I could tell by her allusions that she was leading up to something.

• lead the way . way 1 ( def 34 ) .

More idioms and phrases containing lead

• all roads lead to Rome
• blind leading the blind
• get the lead out of
• go over (like a lead balloon)
• put lead in one's pencil
• you can lead a horse to water

Example Sentences

Customer engagement, brand promotion, and lead generation are also the top activities of brands on social media.

The ad extension allows advertisers to opt in to having a lead form pop up directly in search results upon an ad click.

This has been a concern for a while on the SEO side, but lead form extensions expand this move into paid advertising.

Like Target Impression Share, Maximize Clicks campaigns should focus more on awareness and leads than actual sales.

Ensure consistency to dominate local search and increase the visitor-to-lead conversion rate.

Such is her burgeoning popularity Toomey is looking to employ more instructors to lead her highly personalized exercise classes.

There were a lot of little pieces, pieces of lead and stuff.

Big Perm worries that the lack of policing the “small fry” will lead to more crimes by “big fry.”

Few reports of his mental illness discuss lead poisoning as a possible reason for his mental deterioration.

Sting took over the lead role to try to draw an audience, but his thumpingly inspirational score was already the hero of the show.

These differences of interests will lead to disputes, ill blood, and finally to separation.

I looked round to see where our help was most wanted, and was about to lead them forward, when I heard the voice of the Alcalde.

He was mounted on a spirited horse and his manner showed he was ready for any kind of an adventure, no matter where it might lead.

The slightest yellowish-brown discoloration indicates the presence of lead.

Such a refusal would lead to quick enquiry—enquiry to information—information to want of confidence and speedy ruin.

Related Words

When to use, what are other ways to say  lead .

To lead is to go before or to show the way. How is lead different from the verbs conduct , direct , and guide ? Find out on Thesaurus.com . 

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.