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housewares

American  
[hous-wairz] / ˈhaʊsˌwɛərz /

plural noun

  1. articles of household equipment, as kitchen utensils, or glassware.


housewares British  
/ ˈhaʊsˌwɛəz /

plural noun

  1. kitchenware and other utensils for use in the home

"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

Usage

What are housewares? Housewares are articles of household equipment, especially ones used in the kitchen, such as plates, glasses, and utensils like knives and forks. The similar word kitchenware refers specifically to housewares for the kitchen. Kitchenware typically refers to such things collectively, whereas housewares is almost always used in its plural form. Housewares is often used as a name for a particular department in a store or a section of a website where such things can be purchased. For this reason, the word housewares is usually used very generally and can encompass many different things, such as small appliances and items of furniture. Example: I packed all of our housewares in the back of the truck so we can unload them first and set up our kitchen right away.

Etymology

Origin of housewares

First recorded in 1920–25; house + ware 1 + -s 3

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.

See Examples For:

Husslein said the company needs to generate more business from those higher-margin nongrocery items — in particular, general-merchandise products such as electronics, clothes and housewares — to boost margins and the stock.

From MarketWatch Jun. 4, 2026

The retail giant has historically been known for its affordable clothes and wide range of cheap groceries, housewares, electronics and toys.

From BBC Feb. 9, 2026

To get a sense of the potential value of furniture and vintage housewares in particular, try creating a free account on auction sites like LiveAuctioneers that let users see past sale prices.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 8, 2025

In 2000, his son, Frank, founded the successful Torrance-based housewares company simplehuman.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 13, 2025

I always knew where to find exactly what I wanted, and what I wanted was normally in the back of the store, where Arletta Paisley’s housewares lined the shelves.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

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