housewife

noun

house·​wife ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf 

especially in sense 2 and in early poetry

ˈhə-zəf 

or -səf

plural housewives ˈhau̇s-ˌwīvz 

also

ˈhau̇z-ˌwīvz 

ˈhə-zəfs, 

-zəvz, 

-səfs, 

-səvz

1

: a married woman in charge of a household

2

: a pocket-size container for small articles (such as thread)

housewifeliness

ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf-lē-nəs 

noun

housewifely

ˈhau̇s-ˌwīf-lē 

adjective

housewifery

ˈhau̇s-ˌwī-f(ə-)rē 

British -(ˌ)wi-f(ə-)rē

also ˈhə-zə-frē

noun

housewifey

ˈhau̇s-ˌwī-fē 

adjective

Examples of housewife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cassie is now a bored California housewife-to-be, dabbling in OnlyFans for extra money for her blowout wedding, and Maddy, a promising talent agent with a nose for spotting clients who can make her a killing. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2026

Wondering how the Ocean State's housewives celebrated Easter weekend? —Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 6 Apr. 2026

And the mother, of course, was a housewife, and also with a middle-class background. —Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2026

At the Ricardo residence in the ’50s sitcom I Love Lucy, over-the-top housewife Lucy and Ricky, her excitable husband, were always getting into some sort of entertaining hijinks. —Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for housewife

• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• jackknife
• loosestrife
• midlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• penknife
• wildlife

Kids Definition

housewife

noun

house·​wife ˈhau̇-ˌswīf 

sense 2 is often

ˈhəz-əf 

ˈhəs-əf

1

: a married woman who manages her own home

2

: a small container for small articles (as thread)

housewifeliness

ˈhau̇-ˌswī-flē-nəs 

noun

housewifely

-flē 

adjective

housewifery

ˈhau̇-ˌswī-fə-rē 

-frē

noun