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

This push into traditional housewife and breadwinner roles came after many women had been working outside the home during the war in jobs usually held by men. —Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2025

The housewife whose life goes south is kind of a specialty of yours, in Days of Wine and Roses, in The Bridges of Madison County, in The Hours. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 30 June 2025

As Henry Kissinger, who would become Richard Nixon’s Secretary of State, put it, no American President was likely to risk the life of a housewife in Kansas to protect that of one in Hamburg. —Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

But try bouncing from a pop star version of 1500s English queen Anne Boleyn to a drunk 1985 housewife to a lusty 1955 teenager. —Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 22 June 2025

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