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

As a shrinking-violet housewife who comes alive under the magic of live theater in The Debut, Moore was the toast of Telluride, to the point where screenings of the film regularly received mid-movie applause breaks. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

The Netflix series from Rebecca Cutter starring Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow, who lead a cutthroat yet soapy set of Texas housewives, has nabbed a season three renewal ahead of season two’s return. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

In the new Jesse Eisenberg film The Debut, Moore plays an unassuming housewife who becomes a passionate, though struggling method actor after being cast in a small role at her local community theater. — Michael Boodro, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026

But the housewife in these displays was still expected to remain responsible for the home. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 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