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

Maude Findlay is a white, upper-middle-class housewife living in Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband, Walter; Carol Traynor, her divorced daughter; and Carol’s young son. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026

Juliet Angus, Amanda Cronin, Karen Loderick-Peace, Juliet Mayhew, Panthea Parker and Nessie Welschinger are all returning, with a new cast photo of the British housewives above. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 July 2026

None of the other housewives appears to get any other combinations of Xs and Os on their digits. — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026

The four-season housewife kicked off the 20th-season premiere that aired on Thursday by sharing that her 17-year-old son, Greyson, was stopped by police for speeding. — Samantha Cookinham, NBC news, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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