Hometown

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Hometown

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

HOHM-town  /ˈhəʊmtaʊn/

Definition

The town or city where a person was born or grew up, or the place with which they feel a strong sense of origin and belonging; the place one regards as home, especially if one no longer lives there.

Plain meaning

Your hometown is the town or city you grew up in — the place you come from. It does not have to be where you were born (though it often is); it is the place that shaped you, the place you call home when people ask where you are from.

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Neutral to warm. Hometown is an everyday word with strong positive and nostalgic associations. It is used in journalism (born in his hometown of Sheffield), social contexts (where's your hometown?), and cultural analysis (the hometown as a formative place).