homemaker

American  

[hohm-mey-ker] / ˈhoʊmˌmeɪ kər /

noun

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.

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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

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Sensitive Note

See housewife.

Other Word Forms

• homemaking noun

Etymology

Origin of homemaker

First recorded in 1885–90; home + maker

Example Sentences

Burden’s marriage began to settle into the traditional gender roles of homemaker and breadwinner, despite the fact that it was Burden who had financed their lifestyle.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Helen, the oldest sibling, is a domineering homemaker who has appointed herself keeper of the family recipes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Firouzeh, a 43-year-old homemaker who declined to give her full name, said the recent tensions had left her "very worried and scared".

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

His mother was a homemaker and his father worked in scrap metal.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026

I don’t know what she thought about, how she felt about being a traditional homemaker as opposed to working a different job.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama