housewife

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

housewifery

2 of 2

noun (2)

house·​wife·​ry ˈhau̇ˌswīf(ə)rē 

-ri, 

chiefly British -swə̇f-

plural -es

: the business of a housewife : housekeeping

Examples of housewife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Watch this musical adaptation of Ritesh Batra’s film about a lunchbox delivery meant for one man that lands in the hands of another, sparking a friendship between a young housewife and a widower nearing retirement. —Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 1 June 2026

Two of the victims were shot and one, an innocent housewife, was buried alive. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 28 May 2026

In a nearby tent was Zuhoor Musa Abdul Rahman, a 30-year-old housewife who recounted with unnatural calm the horrors that spurred her to flee El Fasher, a city some 300 miles east of Obeid. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026

Abbass plays a housewife named Aida who replies to a casting call for extras to make ends meet. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Middle English houswiferie, from houswif + -erie -ery

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for housewife

• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• jackknife
• midlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• penknife
• wildlife
• knife

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