babysit

verb

ba·​by·​sit ˈbā-bē-ˌsit 

babysat ˈbā-bē-ˌsat  ; babysitting

intransitive verb

: to care for children usually during a short absence of the parents

broadly : to give care

babysit for a neighbor's pets

transitive verb

: to babysit for

She babysits her grandchildren.

broadly : mind, tend

babysit house plants

police babysitting a witness

babysitter noun

Examples of babysit in a Sentence

She babysits their kids on Saturday nights.

Recent Examples on the Web

After news broke that Puth and his wife are expecting their first baby together, Winfrey shared a comment on Billboard's Instagram offering to babysit. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025

Did Ed Gein actually babysit children? —Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025

In October 1953, 14-year-old Evelyn Hartley went missing in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, after she had been hired to babysit the 20-month-old daughter of a man named Viggo Rasmussen, and was never seen again. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025

Bobby Bones is about to be a dad — and his co-host is already offering to babysit for free. —Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from babysitter

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

babysit

verb

ba·​by·​sit ˈbā-bē-ˌsit 

babysat -ˌsat  ; babysitting

: to care for children usually while the parents are away for a short time

babysitter noun