ENGLISH
REFERENCE

home wrecker

idiom
Meaning

A person who gains the affections of someone already married or engaged, and thus causes the dissolution of the marriage or engagement.


Origin

disputed origin

From home + wrecker, suggesting the breakup of a household.

Examples
SIMPLE

People often call her a home wrecker for dating him.

CONTEXTUAL

The scandal grew when the public accused his new partner of being a home wrecker.

COMPLEX

The tabloid press relentlessly painted her as a home wrecker, blaming her entirely for the collapse of the famous couple's long-standing marriage.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    bring home

    To earn (money).

  2. 02

    bring home the bacon

    To have employment which provides remuneration to satisfy the basic needs of oneself and one's family.

  3. 03

    broken home

    A home in which the parents have separated or divorced.

  4. 04

    charity begins at home

    One should help the people closest to oneself before thinking of helping others.

  5. 05

    close to home

    Affecting people close to, or within, one's family circle.

  6. 06

    come home by weeping cross

    To return in disappointment, or in a spirit of contrition.

  7. 07

    come home to roost

    To have negative consequences (of an action in the past).

  8. 08

    eat someone out of house and home

    To consume so much of someone's store of food that little or none is left for the owner.

Last updated April 17, 2026