What does housekeeper mean?
A housekeeper is a person employed to maintain a home by carrying out cleaning and other domestic duties. The word is also used in hotels, institutions, and similar settings for a staff member responsible for housekeeping, a term that may include cleaning, linen management, and related maintenance tasks. In everyday use, a housekeeper is usually imagined as someone whose regular work makes a household cleaner, more orderly, and easier to manage. The term is natural in both British and American English, though domestic worker or domestic helper can sound more neutral in some employment contexts. Housekeeper is a transparent compound: it describes the person who “keeps” or maintains the house. Its meaning has expanded beyond literal cleaning, while remaining closely connected to the management of a household or building.
nounA person employed to perform cleaning and other domestic duties in a private home. In hotels, institutions, and similar settings, the term can also denote a staff member responsible for housekeeping.
- A person employed to perform cleaning and other domestic duties in a private residence.
- A person responsible for housekeeping in a hotel, institution, or other building.
"We hired a housekeeper to clean the kitchen twice a week."
"We hired a housekeeper to clean the kitchen twice a week."
"The housekeeper checked the rooms on the second floor."
Used when referring to more than one person employed in domestic or institutional housekeeping roles.
"The family hired two housekeepers to manage the large home."
A housekeeper does more than clean: they keep a household running, one room at a time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does housekeeper come from?
Housekeeper is an English compound formed in the Middle English period from house, keep, and the agentive suffix -er. Its literal sense is “a person who keeps or maintains a house,” which developed into the modern occupational meaning. Housekeep and housekeeping are parallel developments from the same compound, while keeper shares the underlying element keep.
Related word forms
How housekeeper is actually used
The term is standard in British and American English. In a private home, it commonly refers to an employed domestic worker; in hotels and institutions, it can refer to a staff member who carries out or supervises housekeeping. In some employment contexts, domestic worker or domestic helper may be preferred as more neutral wording.
Easily confused with housekeeper
Housekeeper is a noun naming a person, while housekeep is a verb meaning to maintain a house or household.