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

• maid

Examples of housekeeper in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Rounding out the unhappy home — two times a week, anyway — is Rina (Monika Frajczyk), an undocumented Macedonian housekeeper who’s been half-persuaded and half-threatened by Chris into taking the job despite her horror at seeing Tommy trapped in the basement. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

Rouse says he was also inspired by the character Coco, the gay housekeeper on The Golden Girls who was cut after the pilot episode to make room for Sophia. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

The children's longtime nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo, and housekeepers will likely stay in smaller properties nearby. —Stephanie Petit, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Among the fictitious board were Taylor’s housekeeper and a bartender. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1528, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for housekeeper

• beekeeper
• bookkeeper
• doorkeeper
• gamekeeper
• gatekeeper
• goalkeeper
• innkeeper
• minesweeper
• peacekeeper
• shopkeeper
• storekeeper
• timekeeper

Kids Definition

housekeeper

noun

house·​keep·​er ˈhau̇-ˌskē-pər 

: a person employed to take care of a house