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# housewife

noun (a housewife, housewives)

«housewife» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A woman whose main work is looking after her home and family, not working at a paid job. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#m1)
2. (old, UK, also «hussif») A small sewing kit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/#m2)

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

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «housewife» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/housewife/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«housewife» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/housewife.html) on Mova free.