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housemaid

American  
[hous-meyd] / ˈhaʊsˌmeɪd /

noun

  1. a female servant employed in general domestic work in a home, especially to do housework.

housemaid British  
/ ˈhaʊsˌmeɪd /

noun

  1. a girl or woman employed to do housework, esp one who is resident in the household

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of housemaid

First recorded in 1685–95; house + maid

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.

In fourth place at $10.2 million was "The Housemaid," an adaptation of Freida McFadden's best-selling novel about a young woman who is hired by a wealthy couple with dark secrets.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

The Housemaid is now showing in UK cinemas.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

After months of pushback and a two summer movie flops, she’s now on a press campaign for her latest film, The Housemaid.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2025

The Housemaid, Im Sang-soo, South Korea Many films in the competition are made by directors who are so knowledgeable about cinematic history that they refuse to traffic in its narrative seductions.

From Time • May 22, 2010

Housemaid, nurse, mother, confederate, counselor, chef—what ten thousand things was Madame Manec to Etienne?

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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.