housekeeping

noun

house·​keep·​ing ˈhau̇s-ˌkē-piŋ How to pronounce housekeeping (audio)
1
a
: the management of a house and home affairs
… coming home to husbands who won't share in the housekeepingThe 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

Examples of housekeeping in a Sentence

We took the computer offline to do some basic housekeeping.
Recent Examples on the Web Mercury’s entrance to analytical Virgo inspires you to do some overdue financial housekeeping. USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2024 During the pandemic, many hotels stopped offering daily room cleaning, or only do it on request—something housekeeping staff said makes end-of-stay cleaning more difficult. Megan Poinski, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024 Eco-friendly hotels increasingly are asking guests to forgo daily housekeeping or use their towels more than once. Farhad Tabatabaei, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2024 Many hotels nationwide have kept coronavirus-era cuts in place, such as understaffing; ending automatic, daily housekeeping; and removing food and beverage options. Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for housekeeping 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'housekeeping.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of housekeeping was in 1529

Dictionary Entries Near housekeeping

Cite this Entry

“Housekeeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/housekeeping. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

housekeeping

noun
house·​keep·​ing
ˈhau̇-ˌskē-piŋ
: the care and management of a house and home affairs

More from Merriam-Webster on housekeeping

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