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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

  • underhousemaid noun

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.

The one-page note, addressed to the head housemaid at Royal Lodge in Windsor, includes drawings of dogs, horses and young children and asks if "the birds are well, and the goldfish haven't died".

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

A red flag for sure, but it’s not long before Nina is practically loading a harpoon gun with red flags and firing them at her new housemaid, left and right.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026

“The Housemaid”? I play the husband of a woman suffering from emotional issues who hires a housemaid to help out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

She works as a housemaid in downtown and uses public transport daily.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 13, 2023

It had fallen upon poor Margaret, the good-hearted and squeaky-voiced housemaid, to help Lady Constance change into a fresh gown and fix her hair so that she might receive her unexpected guest.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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.