housekeeping

housekeeping — noun

1. the work of keeping a home clean, tidy, and properly organised — including tasks

1.nounB1
Definition

the work of keeping a home clean, tidy, and properly organised — including tasks like cleaning, shopping for supplies, and managing daily household routines.

Example

After moving into her own flat, Dylan quickly discovered that housekeeping took up most of his weekend mornings.

common collocation: do/handle the housekeeping

Sofie and her flatmates created a shared housekeeping schedule so that no one person ended up doing all the cleaning.

collocation: housekeeping schedule / housekeeping duties

Common collocations
  • do the housekeeping
  • housekeeping chores
  • housekeeping routine
  • share the housekeeping
  • housekeeping duties
Synonyms
  • housework

    focuses on physical chores like cleaning and washing, less on the management aspect

  • homemaking

    broader term that also includes creating a comfortable atmosphere, not just chores

  • domestic work

    formal term that can include childcare and cooking alongside cleaning

Common Mistakes

I need to do some housekeeping work at home.
I need to do some housekeeping at home.
'housekeeping' already includes the idea of work; adding 'work' is redundant.

2. the team within a hotel, hospital, or other large institution responsible for cl

2.nounB1
Definition

the team within a hotel, hospital, or other large institution responsible for cleaning rooms, changing bed linen, and maintaining general tidiness.

Example

When Samir found no fresh towels in his room, he called the front desk and asked for housekeeping.

typical pattern: call/ring housekeeping to request something

Caleb works on housekeeping at the City Grand; his shift runs from seven in the morning until three.

Common collocations
  • call housekeeping
  • housekeeping department
  • housekeeping staff
  • send housekeeping
  • housekeeping team
Synonyms
  • cleaning staff

    more general term for the people who clean, not the department as a whole

  • room service

    refers to food delivery in hotels, not cleaning — a common confusion for learners

Usage Note

In hotel contexts, 'housekeeping' often refers to the department rather than the action itself — you call housekeeping, not call a cleaner.

3. the money that a family keeps aside each week or month for buying food, cleaning

3.nounB2
Definition

the money that a family keeps aside each week or month for buying food, cleaning supplies, and other everyday essentials at home.

Example

Yuna sets aside two hundred pounds from her salary each month for housekeeping expenses such as groceries and toiletries.

collocation: housekeeping money / housekeeping expenses

After Apinya's father lost his job, the family had to cut their weekly housekeeping budget by a third.

Common collocations
  • housekeeping money
  • housekeeping budget
  • housekeeping expenses
  • housekeeping cash
Synonyms

Usage Note

This sense is chiefly British English. In American English, 'household expenses' or 'grocery money' is more common for the same idea.

Common Mistakes

I spent all my housekeeping on a new phone.
I spent all my housekeeping money on a new phone.
Used alone without 'money', this sense can sound ambiguous; adding 'money' or 'budget' clarifies the meaning.

4. the regular, often unexciting tasks that are necessary to keep a business, proje

4.nounB2
Definition

the regular, often unexciting tasks that are necessary to keep a business, project, or computer system working properly, even though they fall outside the central purpose.

Example

Before starting the new project, Caio finished some IT housekeeping like clearing old files and updating passwords.

metaphorical use: IT housekeeping / administrative housekeeping

The new manager spent her first week doing organizational housekeeping — sorting out staff records and clearing out old paperwork.

Common collocations
  • IT housekeeping
  • administrative housekeeping
  • do some housekeeping
  • organizational housekeeping
  • software housekeeping
Synonyms
  • maintenance

    more formal and broader, includes repairs and checks, not just cleaning up

  • routine tasks

    neutral term without the metaphor of cleaning

  • spring cleaning

    metaphor for a thorough one-time clean-up, not regular upkeep

Usage Note

This sense is metaphorical, extending the idea of cleaning a home to cleaning up a system. It often appears in compounds: 'IT housekeeping', 'administrative housekeeping', 'financial housekeeping'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Housework and housekeeping overlap, but housework emphasises the physical chores (washing, vacuuming, dusting) while housekeeping includes the broader management of a home — planning meals, buying supplies, and organising schedules. Cleaning is narrower still, focusing only on removing dirt and tidying up. Homemaking goes beyond chores to include decorating, budgeting, and creating a warm atmosphere. Domestic work is a formal umbrella term that can cover cooking, childcare, and cleaning, often in the context of paid employment. If you spent Saturday scrubbing the bathroom and vacuuming the living room, you did housework or cleaning. If you also planned the week's meals and paid the household bills, you did housekeeping.

housework ↗cleaninghomemakingdomestic work

Common collocations

Nouns

  • housekeeping department
  • housekeeping staff
  • housekeeping team
  • housekeeping budget
  • housekeeping money
  • housekeeping expenses

Phrases

  • do the housekeeping
  • call housekeeping
  • IT housekeeping
  • administrative housekeeping

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEarly Modern EnglishModern English

A compound of 'house' (from Old English 'hūs', meaning a dwelling place) and 'keeping' (from Old English 'cēpan', meaning to care for or maintain). The phrase 'keep house' — to manage a home — appeared in English in the 1500s. By the 1600s, 'housekeeping' was established as a noun covering both the work itself and the money set aside for running a home. The figurative sense for routine administrative tasks developed in the late 1900s.