housekeeper

[hous-kee-per]

noun

1. a person, often hired, who does or directs the domestic work and planning necessary for a home, as cleaning or buying food.

2. an employee of a hotel, hospital, etc., who supervises the cleaning staff.

housekeeper

/ ˈhaʊsˌkiːpə /

noun

1. a person, esp a woman, employed to run a household

2. a person who is not an efficient and thrifty domestic manager

3. a person who is an efficient and thrifty domestic manager

Other Word Forms

• housekeeperlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of housekeeper¹

First recorded in 1375–1425, housekeeper is from the late Middle English word houskeper. See house, keeper

Example Sentences

Two women, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by immigration enforcement, started doing remediation work after the fires burned homes in Altadena they had previously cleaned as housekeepers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The housekeeper, having spied a man sleeping in the vestibule of her building, believes he’s connected to the murder and thus fears for her safety.

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In my time working as a housekeeper at the home, I witnessed concerning medical care, which left one woman who was living with dementia in extreme distress on a regular basis.

Read more on BBC

But the women — one of whom was the daughter of a housekeeper on the block — said Cruz intentionally sprayed them, and they called the police to report an alleged assault.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At the time, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad still lived with his parents — a Mexican-born housekeeper and a short-order cook — in Pacoima.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• caretaker 
• chambermaid 
• housemaid 
• housewife 
• maid 
• servant