This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
housewife
[ hous-wahyf or, usually, huhz-if for 2 ]
/ ˈhaʊsˌwaɪf or, usually, ˈhʌz ɪf for 2 /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural house·wives [hous-wahyvz]. /ˈhaʊsˌwaɪvz/.
Sometimes Offensive. a married woman who manages her own household, especially as her principal occupation.
British. a sewing box; a small case or box for needles, thread, etc.
verb (used with or without object), house·wifed, house·wif·ing.
Archaic. to manage with efficiency and economy, as a household.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
usage note for housewife
Most people, married or unmarried, find the term housewife perfectly acceptable. But it is sometimes perceived as insulting, perhaps because it implies a lowly status (“She’s just a housewife”) or because it defines an occupation in terms of a woman's relation to a man. Homemaker is a fairly common substitute.
Words nearby housewife
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use housewife in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for housewife
housewife
/ (ˈhaʊsˌwaɪf) /
noun plural -wives
a woman, typically a married woman, who keeps house, usually without having paid employment
Also called: hussy, huswife (ˈhʌzɪf) mainly British a small sewing kit issued to soldiers
Derived forms of housewife
housewifery (ˈhaʊsˌwɪfərɪ, -ˌwɪfrɪ), nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012