Standard Lemma guide

homie

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈhəʊ.mi/
  • General-American: /ˈhoʊ.mi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊmi

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone, particularly a friend or male acquaintance, from one's hometown.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: African-American Vernacular

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A close friend or fellow member of a youth gang.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: African-American Vernacular

Examples

  • Hey there, Francis, my homie!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: homeboy, homeskillet, nigga, babber, billy, bredrin, bruv, bud, buddo, buddy, butty, chaver, china, chuck, chum, cock, cocker, cobber, compadre, comrade, companion, cove, crony, dawg, dude, duck, fam, fettler, friend, geez, geezer, gink, good old boy, homie, kith, lover, marrow, mate, matey, mucker, old bean, pal, pardner, peeps, punk, shag, sport, surry, tovarish, wantok

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An inner-city youth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: African-American Vernacular

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Alternative spelling of omi (“man”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Polari, alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bloke, boy, bro, broski, bruh, cat, chap, chappy, chield, cove, covey, dog [⇒ thesaurus] (slang), dawg, dude, fella, fellow, gadgie, gate, geezer, gink, gloak, gome, guy, health, homeboy, homey, joe, lede, nigga, ninja, omi, pillicock, punk, rooster, seg, shalk, wallah, wer, were, wye

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Earliest known reference is in the tune The House of Blue Lights (1946) by Ella Mae Morse and Freddie Slack, when Morse improvises a spoken-word intro. Equivalent to home + -ie.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: col·lega — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Catalan: soci — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Catalan: amic — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Catalan: company — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Catalan: camarada — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Chinese Mandarin: 厚米 (hòumǐ) — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Dutch: maat — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Finnish: kamu — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • French: pote — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • French: gros — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Galician: colega — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Galician: compañeiro — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • German: Kumpel — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Hebrew: סַחְבָּק (sáẖbaq) — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Hungarian: pajtás — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Hungarian: haver — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Hungarian: cimbora — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Hungarian: barát — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Icelandic: félagi — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Jamaican Creole: chargie — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Macedonian: ба́тка (bátka) — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Portuguese: mano — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Russian: кореш (koreš) — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: cuate — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: socio — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: compadre — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: compinche — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: (Sinaloa) camarada — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: consorte — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: mano — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: pana — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Spanish: colega — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Swedish: kompis — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with
  • Swedish: polare — a friend; somebody one often hangs out with