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housekeeper

noun house·keep·er \ ˈhau̇s-ˌkē-pər \
|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Definition of housekeeper

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

See housekeeper defined for English-language learners

See housekeeper defined for kids

Examples of housekeeper in a Sentence

  1. the bachelor doctor could easily afford to hire a housekeeper to cook and clean

Recent Examples of housekeeper from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'housekeeper.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of housekeeper

circa 1528

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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housekeeper Synonyms

Synonyms

charwoman, handmaiden (also handmaid), housemaid, maid, maidservant;

Related Words

attendant, chambermaid;

nursemaid;

domestic, menial;

HOUSEKEEPER Defined for English Language Learners

housekeeper

noun

Definition of housekeeper for English Language Learners

  • : a person whose job is to manage the cooking, cleaning, etc., in a house

HOUSEKEEPER Defined for Kids

housekeeper

noun house·keep·er \ ˈhau̇s-ˌkē-pər \

Definition of housekeeper for Students

: a person employed to take care of a house

Learn More about housekeeper

  1. See words that rhyme with housekeeper Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for housekeeper Spanish Central: Translation of housekeeper Nglish: Translation of housekeeper for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of housekeeper for Arabic speakers

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