housekeeping

noun

house·​keep·​ing ˈhau̇s-ˌkē-piŋ How to pronounce housekeeping (audio)
1
a
: the management of a house and home affairs
… coming home to husbands who won't share in the housekeepingThe Wilson Quarterly
The first defense against insect infestation is good housekeeping (regular vacuuming) to remove eggs and larvae from the fabrics.Sara J. Wolf
b
: the work or activity of cleaning and preparing rooms for customers (as in a hotel)
often used before another noun
housekeeping services
took a housekeeping job at a nearby hotel
also : the department or employees responsible for doing such work
If you need fresh towels you can call housekeeping.
2
: the care and management of property and the provision of equipment and services (as for an industrial organization)
3
: the routine tasks that must be done in order for a system to function or to function efficiently
performing some computer housekeeping by deleting old files

Examples of housekeeping in a Sentence

We took the computer offline to do some basic housekeeping.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
General housekeeping and blade cleaning can also temporarily keep a turbine from spinning. Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 21 Sep. 2025 There’s also weekly housekeeping and personal laundry service. Jessica Peralta, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025 Then once their permits were approved, Iryna and Anna both were able to land jobs working in housekeeping at a retirement community, a little over a mile from the Haskells’ home. Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025 That December, the suit notes, members of the district’s maintenance, housekeeping and groundskeeping crews (the majorty of whom were Black of Hispanic, the suit says) found out they were no longer invited to the annual holiday party. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for housekeeping

Word History

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of housekeeping was in 1529

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Cite this Entry

“Housekeeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/housekeeping. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

housekeeping

noun
house·​keep·​ing
ˈhau̇-ˌskē-piŋ
: the care and management of a house and home affairs

More from Merriam-Webster on housekeeping

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