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

Suburban Fury explores how Moore morphed from a conservative housewife to a radical intent on laying the groundwork for an uprising in America by eliminating the president. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026

One of its peak popularity periods was in 1937, when Jewish housewives standardized the game and created the National Mah Jongg League. —Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2026

Rags to riffs The son of a cab driver and a housewife, Sedaka was born and raised in Brooklyn. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

The trailer for the upcoming 17th season of the reality series introduces two new housewives. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2026

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