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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 3 Apr. 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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- 1.1 Etymology
- 1.2 Pronunciation
- 1.3.1 Usage notes
- 1.3.2 Hypernyms
- 1.3.3 Coordinate terms
- 1.3.4 Derived terms
- 1.3.5 Translations
- 1.4 See also
- 1.5 References
- 1.6 Anagrams
English [ edit ]
Etymology [ edit ].
From home + work .
Pronunciation [ edit ]
- ( Received Pronunciation ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈhəʊmˌwɜːk/
- ( General American ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/
Noun [ edit ]
homework ( usually uncountable , plural homeworks )
- 2013 July 1, Peter Wilby , “Finland's education ambassador spreads the word”, in The Guardian [1] , archived from the original on 2022-10-15 : Even 15-year-olds do no more than 30 minutes' homework a night.
- 2023 January 12, Kevin Roose, “Don't Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach With It.”, in The New York Times [2] , archived from the original on 2023-01-17 : And I'm sympathetic to teachers who feel that they have enough to worry about, without adding A.I.-generated homework to the mix.
- 2012 April 10, John Hudson, “North Korea Has a Clumsy Way of Soothing Concerns About Its Rocket Launch”, in The Atlantic [3] , archived from the original on 2022-01-22 : Since the whole world is watching this launch, they probably should've done some homework on their talking points.
- 2017 May 9, “Mindful sex is better sex, says B.C. researcher promoting new workbook”, in CBC News [4] , archived from the original on 2022-11-22 : Four years after her first sexual health book came out, Dr. Lori Brotto is giving her readers a little bit of homework for the bedroom.
- 2022 July 18, Donald Mcrae , quoting Michael Yormark, “Roc Nation's Michael Yormark on Romelu Lukaku: 'You have to play to his strengths... I don't think that happened'”, in The Guardian [5] , archived from the original on 2022-12-26 : I didn't even know who he was until I did my homework and realised he was a premier footballer for Bayern.
- 2023 August 7, Suzanne Wrack , “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian [6] : Nigeria had done their homework and were well organised. Halimatu Ayinde was exceptional in her marking of James, who had scored twice and provided three assists as she ran the show against China.
- 1989 , Eileen Boris, Cynthia R. Daniels, Homework: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Paid Labor at Home , University of Illinois Press , →ISBN , page 241 : Hatch perceived homework to be one tool—along with various workfare schemes and private sector training programs—that would take women off welfare and make poor women "independent."
- 1933 , James T. Farrell , Gas-House McGinty , page 186 : My wife and I want a kid, and we do plenty of homework , but goddamn it, Dutch, I just can't connect.
- ( BDSM ) Tasks assigned by a dominant for a submissive to perform when they are physically away from their dominant or otherwise free.
Usage notes [ edit ]
- ( exercises assigned by a teacher ) The term homework generally implies that the work is mandatory and worth marks; exercises that are optional are usually referred to as practice problems , review problems , extra practice , exercises , etc.
- ( exercises assigned by a teacher ) Work of a larger scale than homework (which involves a series of relatively simple exercises) is usually referred to as an assignment or project .
Hypernyms [ edit ]
Coordinate terms [ edit ], derived terms [ edit ].
- bit of homework
- do one's homework
- homework club
- homework diary
- piece of homework
- the dog ate my homework
Translations [ edit ]
See also [ edit ], references [ edit ], anagrams [ edit ].
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Definition of homework noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
- I always do my homework on the bus.
- physics/geography/French, etc. homework
- I still haven't done my geography homework.
- How much homework do you get?
- for homework I have to write up the notes for homework.
- (especially North American English) I have to finish this homework assignment .
- acquire/get/lack (an) education/training/ (British English) (some) qualifications
- receive/provide somebody with training/tuition
- develop/design/plan a curriculum/ (especially British English) course/ (North American English) program/syllabus
- give/go to/attend a class/lesson/lecture/seminar
- hold/run/conduct a class/seminar/workshop
- sign up for/take a course/classes/lessons
- go to/start preschool/kindergarten/nursery school
- be in (North American English) the first, second, etc. grade/ (British English) year 1, 2. etc. (at school)
- study/take/drop history/chemistry/German, etc.
- (British English) leave/finish/drop out of/ (North American English) quit school
- (North American English) graduate high school/college
- be the victim/target of bullying
- (British English) play truant from/ (both British English, informal) bunk off/skive off school (= not go to school when you should)
- (both especially North American English) skip/cut class/school
- (British English) cheat in/ (North American English) cheat on an exam/a test
- get/be given a detention (for doing something)
- be expelled from/be suspended from school
- do your homework/ (British English) revision/a project on something
- work on/write/do/submit an essay/a dissertation/a thesis/an assignment/ (North American English) a paper
- finish/complete your dissertation/thesis/studies/coursework
- hand in/ (North American English) turn in your homework/essay/assignment/paper
- study/prepare/ (British English) revise/ (North American English) review/ (North American English, informal) cram for a test/an exam
- take/ (both British English) do/sit a test/an exam
- (especially British English) mark/ (especially North American English) grade homework/a test
- (British English) do well in/ (North American English) do well on/ (especially North American English, informal) ace a test/an exam
- pass/fail/ (especially North American English, informal) flunk a test/an exam/a class/a course/a subject
- apply to/get into/go to/start college/ (British English) university
- leave/graduate from law school/college/ (British English) university (with a degree in computer science)
- study for/take/ (British English) do/complete a law degree/a degree in physics
- (both North American English) major/minor in biology/philosophy
- earn/receive/be awarded/get/have/hold a master’s degree/a bachelor’s degree/a PhD in economics
- Have you finished your homework?
- Have you done your physics homework yet?
- I was helping my sister with her maths homework.
- The homework assignments are worth 10% of the final grade.
- I have some homework to do on the Civil War.
- I want you to hand in this homework on Friday.
- The science teacher always gives a lot of homework.
- They get a lot of homework in English.
- They get masses of homework at secondary school.
- We had to write out one of the exercises for homework.
- for homework
- homework on
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What’s the difference between homework and housework ?
These two words seem practically identical, but they actually have separate meanings and uses. I’ll clarify that in today’s lesson, so that you can be sure to use the right word.
And at the end I’ll also tell you about a common mistake that English learners often make with homework and housework.
How to use HOMEWORK in English
Homework refers to schoolwork that you do at home.
So if you’re in class, your teacher might give you homework – maybe a worksheet, maybe a book/article to read, maybe an exercise to do or something to research – and then you do that homework outside of class, at home.
Homework is usually extra practice or an additional assignment to help you practice what you learned inside class, or take your learning further.
How to use HOUSEWORK in English
Housework refers to the physical tasks that are necessary to take care of your house or apartment , the place where you live. We usually use housework to refer to cooking, cleaning, and laundry (washing your clothes).
So homework is schoolwork you do at home, and housework involves maintaining your living space.
What about “chores”?
One of my students asked if the word chores means the same thing as housework.
Yes – chores is another word we can use for those things that you have to do around the house. Washing dishes, sweeping the floor, cleaning the toilet, and so on. You probably don’t really enjoy them, but they need to get done.
And it’s also common to use this word chores you have a parent who makes their children help with these tasks. So the parent would say, “you have to do your chores.” You need to do those things around the house that you’re responsible for, like cleaning up your room or maybe helping with the laundry.
HOMEWORK and HOUSEWORK are always singular!
Now here’s an important detail – the word chore is countable, so you can have one chore, two chores, three chores, or a lot of chores to do.
But homework and housework are BOTH considered uncountable . So we always use them in the singular, always homework and housework, never homeworks or houseworks.
They are singular even when they refer to multiple tasks. So even if you have multiple assignments to do and multiple things to do in your house, it’s still only homework and housework.
You can talk about general quantity by saying a little homework/housework or a lot of homework/housework – but don’t use numbers, like “three homeworks,” and don’t add an S, “a lot of houseworks” – it’s not correct.
WORK / WORKS
This rule also applies to the word “work” – most of the time it’s singular.
Don’t say “I have a lot of works to do.” – the correct way would be “I have a lot of work to do.” You can say tasks, you can say projects, you can say assignments, you can say things – those can all be plural, but work is typically singular.
There’s one situation where we can say “works” and that’s specifically when we’re talking about works of art, works of music, or works of literature. So when we’re talking about productions in the artistic world, then sometimes we use works in the plural. For example, this is one of Picasso’s greatest works of art.
But in everyday life, when talking about the work you have to do, it’s always work, singular and same with homework and housework, singular.
Now you know the difference between homework and housework – and remember, doing homework is really important for reviewing and practicing what you learn!
A lot of our courses at Espresso English include homework. Sometimes that’s a quiz so you can test yourself on the lesson, and sometimes the homework is a writing task or speaking task where you can send your answers to our teaching team and get correction and feedback.
Our students often find this the most valuable part of our courses, because then you’re not just watching or reading or listening to me in English, but you’re also using English yourself. It really makes a difference in helping you learn and remember better.
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Shayna Oliveira
Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.
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homework: plural?
- Thread starter deluay
- Start date Oct 4, 2007
Senior Member
- Oct 4, 2007
Hi..! Is it correct to say: >I'm doing my homeworks. >I'm going to do my homeworks. Can I use the plural for homework to show that I have several kinds of homework to do? Is it common? thanks!
SerinusCanaria3075
Is it correct to say: >I'm doing my homeworks. >I'm going to do my homeworks. Click to expand...
As far as I know homework is an uncountable noun and has no plural. I'm doing / I'm going to do my homework
deluay said: Hi..! Is it correct to say: >I'm doing my homeworks. >I'm going to do my homeworks. Can I use the plural for homework to show that I have several kinds of homework to do? Is it common? thanks! Click to expand...
Cracker Jack
- Oct 5, 2007
Even if you have to do homework in several subjects, it is still called homework. You can say exercises or compositions. But you only say homework.
- Nov 6, 2013
Cracker Jack said: Even if you have to do homework in several subjects, it is still called homework. You can say exercises or compositions. But you only say homework. Click to expand...
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is ‘homework’ singular or plural ? Sehen Sie eine Übersetzung
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The singular is 'piece of homework'. Use 'homework' when there is more than one, however use 'pieces of homework' when you know the number. For example: I have some homework to complete for today. I have a piece of homework to complete for today. I have six pieces of homework to complete for today.
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uncountable noun
Homework è un termine non numerabile, non si dice homeworks Questa parola è simile al latte. Non si dice latti. Puoi dire le frasi come: The teacher gave me lots of holiday homework I have some maths homework to do I hate homework Do you have any homework? I’ve got no homework tonight
Homework is always singular: The homework that the teacher gave us is really difficult. All of my teachers gave me homework today. It's going to take ages to do.
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- is ‘homework’ singular ...
is Plural
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Is homeworks plural
Homeworks is plural both plural and singular plural singular both plural and singular both plural and singular singular plural singular .
The plural plural singular singular singular plural plural plural singular of homeworks is homework .
How to say homeworks: How to pronounce homeworks
How to say homework: How to pronounce homework
Cite This Source
Not sure why homeworks is plural both plural singular both both singular plural singular ? Contact Us !   We'll explain.
1. What makes words plural? 2. What makes a word singular? 3. How to make acronyms plural.
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- Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
Holiday and holidays
Holiday as a singular noun commonly refers to a specific day or event:
It’s a public holiday on Monday, isn’t it, so I suppose the banks’ll be closed?
She seems very tired and upset at the moment. She needs a holiday .
We booked a holiday online yesterday – two weeks in Greece.
We use the plural noun holidays and holiday in similar ways:
We are all going to Croatia for our holidays this year.
We are all going to Croatia for our holiday this year.
We often use on with holiday :
They’re very good friends. We first met them when we were on holiday in Morocco.
Not: … when we were in holiday … or … when we were at holiday … or … when we were on holidays …
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the nuts and bolts
the practical facts about a particular thing, rather than theories or ideas about it
Shoots, blooms and blossom: talking about plants
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Moreover, the plural form is used by at least some groups of educated native speakers. One's best bet is to try to find out if one's audience belongs to a group that tends to use homeworks. If yes, then go ahead and use that word yourself. If not, rephrase as homework assignments or something similar. Discussion Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
It is singular. My homework is singular. It names. the collective tasks I have to do. Bienvenido mr_Croft! Note: Some dictionaries describe this noun as "uncountable". There are many threads here about uncountable nouns. You may find them by using the forum Search feature, or by looking up the word "uncountable" in the WordReference English ...
HOMEWORK definition: 1. work that teachers give their students to do at home: 2. work that teachers give their students…. Learn more.
homework meaning, definition, what is homework: work that a student at school is asked t...: Learn more. ... • Homework is an uncountable noun and is not used in the plural. ... • Homework is always followed by a singular verb. The homework was really difficult. • When talking about one essay or exercise that you have to do, you say a ...
How to use homework in a sentence. piecework done at home for pay; an assignment given to a student to be completed outside the regular class period… See the full definition
Noun [ edit] homework (usually uncountable, plural homeworks) Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class . You must do your homework before you can watch television. 2013 July 1, Peter Wilby, "Finland's education ambassador spreads the word", in The Guardian [1], archived from the original on ...
The homework assignments are worth 10% of the final grade. I have some homework to do on the Civil War. I want you to hand in this homework on Friday. The science teacher always gives a lot of homework. They get a lot of homework in English. They get masses of homework at secondary school. We had to write out one of the exercises for homework.
English - USA. Nov 12, 2008. #5. As I learned English growing up ''Homework'' was always singular. I have heard my children and some of their friends use ''homeworks'', however. In this usage, each homework assignment from a different class or teacher was a separate "homework''. I consider ''homeworks'' to be substandard English, but it's ...
Whereas it's foreseeable that some native English speaker could get away with saying, "I have a homework due in second period," to mean that they have a singular homework assignment due then, it isn't standard fare. Native speakers don't say it this way. In 22 years of schooling, from kindergarten through my PhD, I've never heard anyone say it like that.
You have correctly identified the subject of the sentence as "homework", which is a singular collective noun. So, you should use the singular form of the verb: "What classes is the homework for." It may sound strange, because the word order is inverted and the verb comes after a plural noun, but the subject-verb agreement is all that matters.
So when we're talking about productions in the artistic world, then sometimes we use works in the plural. For example, this is one of Picasso's greatest works of art. But in everyday life, when talking about the work you have to do, it's always work, singular and same with homework and housework, singular.
The noun homework can be countable or uncountable. In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be homework . However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be homeworks e.g. in reference to various types of homeworks or a collection of homeworks. Find more words!
Synonym for homework I haven't heard anyone ever say homeworks. the word homework can be used as a singular and plural. "I have homework to do" singular. "I have a lot of homework" plural. (more than one)|It should be homework and not homeworks.|It's just "homework" whether it's singular or plural.
The word ''homework'' is a noun. A noun is a word that refers to a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns can be singular, referring to one, or plural, referring to more than one.
Homework is an uncountable noun, therefore it should be modified by much or a lot of, not many. Because it is an uncountable noun and is not used in the plural as it is always singular. I don't have much homework today The teacher gave us a lot of homework. Tim has four pieces of homework to complete for today.
Homework is plural singular plural both plural and singular singular plural singular both plural and singular both plural and singular. The plural of homework is homework . How to say homework: How to pronounce homework
Homework solo va en singular, siempre. Ejemplos: I'm doing my math and science homework. Estoy haciendo my tarea de matematicas y ciencia. (Estoy haciendo mis tareas) ... I have never heard the word homework in the plural form (homeworks). The word I believe is collective. Homework can be one or many. deluay Senior Member. TX, USA.
Work (noun) - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
The singular is 'piece of homework'. Use 'homework' when there is more than one, however use 'pieces of homework' when you know the number. For example: I have some homework to complete for today. I have a piece of homework to complete for today. I have six pieces of homework to complete for today.|uncountable noun
Homeworks is singular plural singular plural both plural and singular both plural and singular singular plural both plural and singular. ... How to say homeworks: How to pronounce homeworks. How to say homework: How to pronounce homework. Cite This Source. Not sure why homeworks is singular plural singular plural both both singular plural both ...
Holiday and holidays - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary