housemaster

American  

[hous-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˈhaʊsˌmæs tər, -ˌmɑ stər /

noun

1. a man who is in charge of a house or a dormitory in a private school for boys.

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housemaster British  

/ ˈhaʊsˌmɪstrɪs, ˈhaʊsˌmɑːstə /

noun

1. a teacher, esp in a boarding school, responsible for the pupils in his house

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Other Word Forms

• housemastership noun
• housemistress noun

Etymology

Origin of housemaster

First recorded in 1875–80; house + master

Example Sentences

Allegations against Burrows partly related to his time as a housemaster at Danesford School in Congleton, Cheshire, between 1969 and 1971.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2025

For one thing, he had the good fortune to be assigned to a housemaster, Arthur Goodhart, who was a lax disciplinarian and who thought that music was more important than sports.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 5, 2018

Now back in print, Jane Gardam’s 1976 novel features an awkward teenage girl, Marigold Green, living with her widower father, a housemaster at a boys’ school in the north of England.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2016

His housemaster told the straight-A student's mother: "Thomas will either end up in jail or be president."

From The Guardian • Dec. 20, 2012

Reverend Mokitimi stood his ground: “Dr. Wellington, I am the housemaster and I have told you that I will report to you tomorrow, and that is what I will do.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela