housekeeping
Americannoun
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the maintenance of a house or domestic establishment.
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the management of household affairs.
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the management, care, and servicing of property and equipment of an industrial or commercial building or organization.
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the ongoing routine, procedures, operations, and management of a commercial enterprise, government, organization, or the like.
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Computers. system tasks, as initialization and managing peripheral devices, that must be done to permit a computer program to execute properly but that do not directly contribute to program output.
noun
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the running of a household
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money allocated for the running of a household
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organization and tidiness in general, as of an office, shop, etc
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the general maintenance of a computer storage system, including removal of obsolete files, documentation, security copying, etc
Etymology
Origin of 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.
This includes restaurant workers like bartenders, wait staff and dishwashers; hospitality workers including concierges and housekeeping staff; as well as tour guides, personal trainers and hairdressers.
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
This finding challenges the long-held view that housekeeping genes play only passive roles and highlights their potential in crop improvement.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
The community offers private apartments, chef-prepared meals, housekeeping, transportation and social activities, aiming to provide a “maintenance-free” lifestyle.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
But what does this really mean for Charu, who is obliged by the death of her mother to take up the housekeeping?
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
I try to avoid the drudgery of housekeeping chores, which is more up Rachel’s alley if she can stoop to being helpful on a given day.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
