housekeep
Americanverb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of housekeep
First recorded in 1835–45; back formation from housekeeping
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Like the old woman who lived in a shoe, the medical scientists who housekeep for vitamins have an unmanageable lot of charges.
From Time Magazine Archive
May she continue to write her charming poetry, housekeep, and defend all other keepers of the home for many more years to come.
From Time Magazine Archive
Primrose had in reality a very practical nature; she could housekeep well, and no baker or butcher who ventured to show his face in Rosebury would dream of cheating this bright young lady.
From The Palace Beautiful A Story for Girls by L. T. Meade
Helen, who from the first had insisted on nursing her father herself, had no time to housekeep.
From Polly A New-Fashioned Girl by L. T. Meade
We will still be husband and wife; we will take a small lodging, and you shall housekeep and live in-doors.
From The Grey Woman and other Tales by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Some hosts maintain that basic housekeeping is simply part of staying in someone else’s home.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
It was the first all-female founded and operated periodical, designed to be an alternative to other women's magazines that typically focused on housekeeping and fashion.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
A housekeeping note: This season was produced before the end of the most recent Supreme Court term.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
And finally, a housekeeping note: Markets A.M. will return Monday after the holiday weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
All afternoon I pottered about in my study with my housekeeping chores, and by the time I finished, there were six new box files on the shelves.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
"I've housekept so long I likely know what are the belongings of a handy house;" and she too settled herself with paper and pencil and spectacles.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 17, No. 100, April, 1876 by Various
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