[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/housewife.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / housewife

[← H](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/H/)

# housewife

«housewife» in Mova's school dictionary: **looking after her home and family, not working at a paid job** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a housewife, housewives)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A woman whose main work is looking after her home and family, not working at a paid job. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#m1)

2) (old, UK, also «hussif») A small sewing kit. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In older stories and history lessons many women were housewives; today people often say «homemaker» or «stay-at-home parent», which can be a man or a woman. Phrases: «a busy housewife».

### examples

- In the old story, the housewife baked bread every morning. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#x1)
- My great-grandmother was a housewife with seven children. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#x2)
- Housewives once washed clothes by hand. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#x3)
- Today, «homemaker» is used more than «housewife». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#x4)
- The advert showed a happy housewife with a new washing machine. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#x5)
- The soldier carried a housewife to mend his uniform. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#x6)
- A young housewife was spinning late one evening. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#x7)

### note

Plural «housewives» (f → ves, like wife → wives). The word can feel old-fashioned; «homemaker» works for anyone. Male: househusband.

### In the corpora

- ["Domestic engineer" is a joking name for a housewife, househusband or homemaker.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents/5/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «housewife» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.