take care

idiomatic phrase

1

: to be careful or watchful : to exercise caution or prudence

Because fish is more delicate than beef, take care when pounding it thin.

—Sam Gugino

Patients also should take care in storing their drugs because heat exposure could affect their efficacy, [Aaron] Bernstein says.

—Marlene Cimons

—often used informally to express good wishes when parting, at the end of a message, etc.

I'll see you next week. Take care!

2

: to give particular attention to doing or not doing something

When he had finished writing, Cluny pushed the parchment under his pillow, taking care to leave just a small corner of it jutting out.

—Brian Jacques

In this land of ritual, Westerners should take care to inform themselves of protocol.

—Jeff Morgan

Open oysters carefully just before they are required, taking care not to spill the liquor in their deep shells.

—Elizabeth Craig

see also take care of

Examples of take care in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pfeiffer had taken care of his grandfather until his grandfather’s death, and was living with his grandmother at the time of the accident, according to Nava. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024

Florida would score two more times on the man-advantage in the third and the defense, which was stellar all night, took care of the rest in a 6-2 win over Boston on Friday at TD Garden to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 May 2024

These women have built empires and still have time to take care of their little ones all while looking incredible doing so. —Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 10 May 2024

Upon arriving at the medical ward, I was met by a 5-foot-tall woman named Mary Rose, who introduced herself as the nurse taking care of my patient. —Robert A. Barish, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2024

Painting more surfaces white helps cool an area, but urban designers have to take care not to unintentionally bounce that reflected solar radiation toward people. —Matt Simon, WIRED, 9 May 2024

More than that, how Americans view and take care of companion animals has changed a great deal in the 20 years since Cricket's brief life unfolded, which might explain why the backlash to Noem's story has been so widespread. —Monica Potts, ABC News, 8 May 2024

Priority one is taking care of the (life of the) mother. —Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 8 May 2024

Proposals involving what’s collectively known as the care economy might prove particularly potent with women, who are more likely to hold low-paying jobs as caregivers or see their careers sidelined by the need to take care of family members. —Chris Megerian, Fortune, 8 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2