Etymology
Origin of housecleaning
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.
He replaced none of the Fed’s senior staff directors on arrival, a pointed contrast with the housecleaning some had braced for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
But even after a new album — the band’s 12th — was released in April, concert sales lagged, leading to the cancellations and a housecleaning behind the scenes.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
She says her housecleaning service uses all-natural, nontoxic ingredients with no known carcinogens, human or aquatic toxins, and no known reproductive toxins.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
The housecleaning could delay processing the income statements because the financial team had been reshuffled, the source said, adding "with some firings, rediscovering the past gets even more complicated."
From Reuters ● Jun. 22, 2023
She dulled the agony somewhat by plunging into housecleaning for Nonnie.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
![]()
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.