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

Here’s exactly how to do it By Ashley Baker Read On Very Online Trophy Wives Desperate, real, trad, or mad—housewives have been celebrated, pilloried, and fetishized for ages. —Michael Odell, Air Mail, 10 Apr. 2025

The roster includes Brooks Marks, son of Salt Lake City housewife Meredith Marks; Gia Giudice, daughter of New Jersey housewife Teresa Giudice, Riley Burruss, daughter of former Atlanta housewife Kandi Burruss, and Ariana Biermann, daughter of former Atlanta housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann. —Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

The show brings together housewives from various different locales for a vacation. —Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025

His father was an accountant who had been a conscientious objector during the Second World War, and his mother was a housewife and strict vegetarian. —Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025

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