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Synonyms

homemaker

American  
[hohm-mey-ker] / ˈhoʊmˌmeɪ kər /

noun

  • homemakers
    plural
  1. a person who manages the household of their own family, especially as a principal occupation.

  2. a person employed to manage a household and do household chores for others, as for the sick or elderly.


homemaker British  
/ ˈhəʊmˌmeɪkə /

noun

  1. a person, esp a housewife, who manages a home

  2. a social worker who manages a household during the incapacity of the housewife

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitive Note

See housewife.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of homemaker

First recorded in 1885–90; home + maker

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:

Her father, Jaiveer, works as a home guard, while her mother, Joginder, is a homemaker.

From BBC Jul. 26, 2026

There’s an additional slathering of irony in Garner, the woman behind “Alias” superspy Sydney Bristow, playing the happy homemaker.

From Salon Jul. 26, 2026

Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins on June 8, 1951, to homemaker Elsie and coal miner Glyndwr, and was one of seven children.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 9, 2026

The son of a doctor of traditional medicine and a homemaker, Balen studied to be a civil engineer, and later helped rebuild homes lost in Nepal’s deadly 2015 earthquake.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 4, 2026

Trout was talking to a Maggie White, who had given up being a dental assistant to become a homemaker for an optometrist.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

On social media, for instance, “trad wives” or traditional wives are embracing being homemakers, while their husbands provide for the family.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 27, 2025

His workbook from 1945 showed homemakers and D.I.Y. types how to impose whimsy on their own lives and furniture via upcycling.

From New York Times Jan. 20, 2024

An Indian court's recent verdict that significantly expands the rights of homemakers over their husband's property has been hailed as a positive sign by women's rights advocates.

From BBC Jun. 28, 2023

Thus, the shift in the aesthetics of play kitchens may, at least in part, point to the growing pressure some homemakers feel to turn their own kitchens into a trophy of domestic achievement.

From Salon Jan. 28, 2023

A newspaper clipping with recipes and tips for homemakers.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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