housekeeping

American  

[hous-kee-ping] / ˈhaʊsˌki pɪŋ /

noun

1. the maintenance of a house or domestic establishment.

2. the management of household affairs.

3. the management, care, and servicing of property and equipment of an industrial or commercial building or organization.

4. the ongoing routine, procedures, operations, and management of a commercial enterprise, government, organization, or the like.

5. Computers. system tasks, as initialization and managing peripheral devices, that must be done to permit a computer program to execute properly but that do not directly contribute to program output.

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housekeeping British  

/ ˈhaʊsˌkiːpɪŋ /

noun

1. the running of a household

2. money allocated for the running of a household

3. organization and tidiness in general, as of an office, shop, etc

4. the general maintenance of a computer storage system, including removal of obsolete files, documentation, security copying, etc

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Etymology

Origin of housekeeping

First recorded in 1530–40; house + keeping

Example Sentences

The price-target bump was a necessary bit of housekeeping after Rocket Lab’s big month.

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

As Sergio Gor, the recently confirmed U.S. ambassador to India, sets up housekeeping here, wish him well.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

Services available to tenants for a fee include personal training and private yoga instruction, dry cleaning pickup and delivery, car washing, dog walking, grocery delivery and housekeeping.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2025

What about men’s unpaid labor at home—is it natural to expect that men can make meaningful contributions to child care and housekeeping?

From Slate • Jun. 15, 2025

I bury myself in the next housekeeping article, then the League newsletter.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Related Words

• housework