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

What Allegedly Happened To Linda Napolitano? Linda Napolitano, a NYC housewife and stay-at-home mom, said that on the night of Nov. 30, 1989, three extraterrestrial beings kidnapped her outside her 12th-floor downtown apartment. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Hanks plays a struggling stand-up comedian who comes across a housewife (Sally Field) trying out on open-mic nights who turns out to be pretty good. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024

But still, housewives and axes are like Malibu rum and Diet Coke: things that never should mix. —Peter Larsen, Orange County Register, 1 Nov. 2024

Participants included housewives concerned by the news that fish caught by the Lucky Dragon No. 5 had been sold in Japanese grocery stores. —Amanda Kennell, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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