housekeeper

noun

house·​keep·​er ˈhau̇s-ˌkē-pər 

1

: one employed to manage the domestic duties involved in maintaining a house

2

: a member of a household who manages the domestic duties of the household

She was her father's housekeeper …

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

especially : one who keeps house in a specified way

was always a good/poor housekeeper

… a tidy housekeeper who kept flowers outside his unit …

—Kyle Swenson

Synonyms

• biddy
• char [British]
• charwoman
• handmaiden
• handmaid
• house girl
• housemaid
• maid
• maidservant
• skivvy [British]
• wench [old-fashioned]

Examples of housekeeper in a Sentence

they hired a housekeeper to help their aging parents live at home

Recent Examples on the Web

There are also more than 100 permanent residents in the White House, including maids, cooks, a plumber, a florist and a head housekeeper, according to Business Insider. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 5 July 2024

The 69-year old housekeeper moved to the U.S. from Nicaragua in 2001. —Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 6 June 2024

The casino is looking to fill positions in the following employment sectors: Food and beverage Security Table games Housekeeping Internal maintenance Open jobs include housekeepers, emergency medical technicians, cooks, table game dealers, beverage servers, drivers and cage cashiers. —Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 2 July 2024

The ensemble cast includes Rachael Stirling as Dahl’s fiancée Felicity Crosland, Romola Garai as Jewish American publisher Jessie Stone, Tessa Bonham Jones as housekeeper Hallie and Richard Hope as handyman Wally Saunders. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1528, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

housekeeper

noun

house·​keep·​er ˈhau̇-ˌskē-pər 

: a person employed to take care of a house