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Synonyms

housework

American  
[hous-wurk] / ˈhaʊsˌwɜrk /

noun

  1. the work of cleaning, cooking, etc., to be done in housekeeping.

housework British  
/ ˈhaʊsˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. the work of running a home, such as cleaning, cooking, etc

"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

  • houseworker noun

Etymology

Origin of housework

First recorded in 1570–80; house + work

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.

“Beef” links the potential liabilities women face by locking into long-term relationships to the realities of the capitalist trap, which draws women into not only unpaid housework but uncompensated emotional labor, too.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

About half of caregivers regularly assisted a parent with errands, housework and home repairs.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

Amy, 36, from Norwich, bought the brush online for £4 to "make life easier" with housework, but it caught in her daughter's hair when the child took it out of the box.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

One possible source of domestic tension: Women often still handle more of the housework and child care, even when they are breadwinners.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 27, 2025

Mama and Papi are either always working or always tired—Papi with his two jobs and Mama with us and the housework.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

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.