housekeeping

1 of 2

noun

house·​keep·​ing ˈhau̇s-ˌkē-piŋ 

1

a

: the management of a house and home affairs

… coming home to husbands who won't share in the housekeeping …

—The Wilson Quarterly

The first defense against insect infestation is good housekeeping (regular vacuuming) to remove eggs and larvae from the fabrics.

—Sara J. Wolf

b

: the work or activity of cleaning and preparing rooms for customers (as in a hotel)

—often used before another noun

housekeeping services

took a housekeeping job at a nearby hotel

also : the department or employees responsible for doing such work

If you need fresh towels you can call housekeeping.

2

: the care and management of property and the provision of equipment and services (as for an industrial organization)

3

: the routine tasks that must be done in order for a system to function or to function efficiently

performing some computer housekeeping by deleting old files

see also:

set up housekeeping

housekeeping

2 of 2

present participle of housekeep

Examples of housekeeping in a Sentence

Noun

We took the computer offline to do some basic housekeeping.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Under a new Airbnb rule, guests will no longer have to complete a laundry list of housekeeping tasks at the time of checkout. — Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026

Concierge services, in-villa dining, housekeeping, and exceptional lifestyle experiences are available on demand, combining the privacy of an individual residence with the convenience of a five-star hotel. — Nick Scott, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2026

Before the pandemic, some properties even offered loyalty points or complimentary items to guests who skipped housekeeping during their stay. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

Even before the pandemic, some properties offered loyalty points or complimentary items to guests who skipped housekeeping. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing housekeeping

• light housekeeping
• set up housekeeping

Rhymes for housekeeping

• recordkeeping
• beekeeping
• bookkeeping
• gatekeeping
• peacekeeping
• safekeeping
• timekeeping
• beeping
• creeping
• heaping
• keeping
• leaping

Kids Definition

housekeeping

noun

house·​keep·​ing

ˈhau̇-ˌskē-piŋ

: the care and management of a house and home affairs