housekeeper

noun

house·​keep·​er ˈhau̇s-ˌkē-pər 

1

: one employed to manage the domestic duties involved in maintaining a house

2

: a member of a household who manages the domestic duties of the household

She was her father's housekeeper …

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

especially : one who keeps house in a specified way

was always a good/poor housekeeper

… a tidy housekeeper who kept flowers outside his unit …

—Kyle Swenson

Synonyms

• biddy
• char [British]
• charwoman
• handmaiden
• handmaid
• house girl
• housemaid
• maid
• maidservant
• skivvy [British]
• wench [old-fashioned]

Examples of housekeeper in a Sentence

they hired a housekeeper to help their aging parents live at home

Recent Examples on the Web

An estimated 57% of consumers plan to tip their housekeepers, up 3 percentage points since last year and 10 since 2021, the biggest post-pandemic jump. —J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 24 Dec. 2024

Brad and Jane accidentally give their housekeeper their trip money. —Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024

According to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ longtime housekeeper, Kathy McKeon, Jackie requested clean bed linens daily. —Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2024

Two decades later, the former hotel housekeepers earned $37,000 a year on average, while the one-time restaurant hosts typically made more than $80,000 annually. —Bruno V. Manno, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1528, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

housekeeper

noun

house·​keep·​er ˈhau̇-ˌskē-pər 

: a person employed to take care of a house