home team
- noun
- The home team triumphed over their rivals in a thrilling match last night.
- the home team wins
- home team at an advantage
- home team winning percentage
Examples
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"The way I look at it is the home team has the biggest advantage," he said.
Blog text (20) -
The home team trails by four points with 12 seconds left in the game.
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I'm rooting for the home team.
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Down on the court, a slam dunk by the home team brought the crowd to its feet.
Fiction book (1997) -
In the bleachers, John, Denise, Jimmy Palumbo, and his wife, Gina, cheer on the home team.
Fiction book (2002) -
Kicker Andre Peres delivered on the extra point, giving the home team a 14-7 score at halftime.
Blog text (9) -
The fans cheered loudly as the home team scored the winning goal.
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It's always exciting to see the home team play in front of their supportive crowd.
How Professional
- Jargon
- Jargon
- US
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the team playing in its own venue' is directly compositionally derived from 'home' (local, at one's own place) + 'team' (a group competing). This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows a simple locative/possession logic, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Home team comes from sports: it is the team that plays on its own home field, where local fans cheer and the players know the place. That's why 'home team' means the team playing in its own place and often getting extra support from its crowd.