Definition of DOMESTIC

living near or about human habitations; tame, domesticated; of, relating to, or originating within a country and especially one’s own country… See the full definition

domestic


adjective


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do·​mes·​tic


|



də-ˈme-stik


Definition of

domestic

(Entry 1 of 2)


1


a



:

living near or about human habitations



domestic

vermin


b



:



tame


,


domesticated



the

domestic

cat


2



:

of, relating to, or originating within a country and especially one’s own country



domestic

politics



domestic

wines



domestic

manufacturing


all debts foreign and

domestic



3



:

of or relating to the

household

or the family



domestic

chores



domestic

happiness


4



:

devoted to home duties and pleasures

leading a quietly

domestic

life


5


:



indigenous



a

domestic

species

domestic


noun

Definition of

domestic

(Entry 2 of 2)


1



:

a servant hired to work for a

household


Her grandmother worked as a

domestic

.


2



:

an article (such as a rug or blanket) manufactured within one’s own country or for use in a household

:

an article of domestic (see





usually used in plural

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Other Words from

domestic

Adjective


domestically


də-​ˈme-​sti-​k(ə-​)lē



adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for

domestic

Synonyms: Adjective


familial

,


household

Synonyms: Noun


daily

[


British

]

,


flunky


(


also


flunkey


or


flunkie

)

,


lackey

,


menial

,


retainer

,


servant

,


slavey

,


steward

Antonyms: Adjective


nondomestic

,


nonfamilial

Antonyms: Noun


master

,


mistress


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Examples of

domestic

in a Sentence


Adjective


The company hopes to attract both foreign and

domestic

investors.


the surest way to maintain

domestic

peace and harmony is to have everyone pitch in on chores


Noun


She got in a

domestic

with her husband.


working as a team, the man and his wife hired themselves out as

domestics

for wealthy homeowners


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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective


Such pauses wouldn’t be reflected in the Gun Violence Archive data, which doesn’t distinguish

domestic

and gang shootings from more public incidents.





NBC News

, “Gun violence is up. It’s been up for more than a year.,” 26 Apr. 2021


Biden signed executive actions that elevated the importance of science in federal policymaking and that called on federal agencies to make climate change and environmental justice a priority in

domestic

and foreign policy decision-making.




Ben Gittleson,

ABC News

, “Biden’s 1st 100 days: Promises kept, broken, or in progress,” 26 Apr. 2021


Across both

domestic

and long-haul travel, American Airlines Group Inc. remains the world’s largest flier.




Benjamin Katz,

WSJ

, “How Qatar Airways, With Its Covid-19 Playbook, Dethroned Emirates as Biggest Long-Haul Airline,” 25 Apr. 2021


America’s criminal justice system too often fails to protect victims of

domestic

and family violence from their abusers — even when the warning signs are obvious.





Washington Post

, “Before Austin shooting, suspect’s family pleaded for more protection: ‘I’m afraid he might hurt me’,” 22 Apr. 2021


But

domestic

and international pressure in recent years has begun to push the county in a different direction.





Los Angeles Times

, “The U.S. is the biggest carbon emitter in history. Where do other nations stand?,” 22 Apr. 2021


The projects, however, will be funded only if Congress reaches agreement on the dozen annual spending bills and the total levels of

domestic

and military spending.





New York Times

, “Senate Republicans Shun Earmarks, Embracing Spending Restraint Anew,” 22 Apr. 2021


The Super League table would have included the reigning champions of the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and Italian Serie A – together, the 12 clubs account for dozens of titles on the

domestic

and international level.




Sarah Keohane Williamson,

Forbes

, “A Lesson In Stakeholder Capitalism From The Failed Super League,” 21 Apr. 2021


Mondale traveled extensively on Carter’s behalf and advised him on

domestic

and foreign affairs.




Rich Barak,

ajc

, “BREAKING: Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter’s vice president, dies at 93,” 20 Apr. 2021


Recent Examples on the Web: Noun


That included $135 million in China (+70% from Godzilla and -25% from Skull Island) and $110 million

domestic

on a $180 million budget.




Scott Mendelson,

Forbes

, “How A ‘Shazam Vs. Black Adam’ Movie Might Trump ‘Batman V Superman’,” 15 Apr. 2021


The Millennial tendency to dabble in the

domestic

is now, essentially, many people’s full-time job.




Angela Lashbrook,

refinery29.com

, “How The Pandemic Made Us Obsessed With Our Homes,” 12 Jan. 2021


Her mother was a

domestic

who was home only one day a week; her stepfather was a longshoreman.




Lawrence Wright,

The New Yorker

, “The Plague Year,” 28 Dec. 2020


One of nine children, he was raised by his mother, Era, who supported the family by working as a

domestic

.





New York Times

, “Dick Allen, 78, Dies; Baseball Slugger Withstood Bigotry,” 7 Dec. 2020


The rub was that Gamgort saw no way his

domestic

can suppliers could possibly make enough of them.




Shawn Tully,

Fortune

, “Keurig is a machine: How the beverage giant is leveraging A.I. to fuel growth,” 19 Oct. 2020


In 1936 Fred married twenty-three-year-old Mary Anne MacLeod, recently arrived from Scotland as a

domestic

.




Anne Diebel,

The New York Review of Books

, “Trumps on the Couch,” 8 Sep. 2020


The growth of its

domestic

over the top business is robust.




Etan Vlessing,

The Hollywood Reporter

, “Lionsgate Swings to Quarterly Profit Amid Pandemic,” 6 Aug. 2020


Her father was an oil field worker, her mother a

domestic

.




Richard Sandomir,

BostonGlobe.com

, “Ola Mae Spinks, who helped preserve a slave archive, dies at 106,” 10 July 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘domestic.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.

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First Known Use of

domestic

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at

sense 1a

Noun

1613, in the meaning defined at

sense 1

History and Etymology for

domestic

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Middle French

domestique

, from Latin

domesticus

, from

domus

— see


dome


entry

1

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Learn More about

domestic

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries near

domestic


domer


domesday


Domesday Book


domestic


domesticable


domestical


domesticality


See More Nearby Entries

Statistics for

domestic

Last Updated

29 Apr 2021


Look-up Popularity

Cite this Entry

“Domestic.”

Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary

, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/domestic. Accessed 1 May. 2021.

Style:

MLA


MLA



Chicago



APA



Merriam-Webster

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More Definitions for

domestic

domestic



adjective

English Language Learners Definition of

domestic

(Entry 1 of 2)



:

of, relating to, or made in your own country



:

relating to or involving someone’s home or family



:

relating to the work (such as cooking and cleaning) that is done in a person’s home

domestic



noun

English Language Learners Definition of

domestic

(Entry 2 of 2)


old-fashioned



:

a servant who is hired to work in someone’s home

:

a domestic servant


British

,

informal



:

a fight between members of a family or household


See the full definition for

domestic

in the English Language Learners Dictionary

domestic


adjective


do·​mes·​tic


|



də-ˈme-stik


Kids Definition of

domestic


1



:

relating to a household or a family



domestic

life


2



:

relating to, made in, or done in a person’s own country

The president spoke about both foreign and

domestic

issues.


3



:

living with or under the care of human beings

:



tame



domestic

animals

Other Words from

domestic


domestically


-​sti-​kə-​lē



adverb

domestic


adjective


do·​mes·​tic


|



də-ˈmes-tik


Legal Definition of

domestic


1



:

of or relating to the household or family

a

domestic

servant



domestic

relations


— see also


family court



2



:

of, relating to, or originating within a country or state and especially one’s own country or state

the state has personal jurisdiction over

domestic

corporations


— compare


foreign


,


municipal


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More from Merriam-Webster on

domestic

Thesaurus:

All synonyms and antonyms for

domestic

Nglish:

Translation of

domestic

for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English:

Translation of

domestic

for Arabic Speakers

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domestic

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domestic

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