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

The sisters would tag along with their mother to the '90s sitcom set, which led to the twins being asked to babysit stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who were seven years younger. —Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 25 June 2025

They can be hired to babysit other kids, do household tasks or deliver newspapers. —Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2025

Read Next State Is your child old enough to babysit this summer? —Kendrick Marshall, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2025

Yet others may resent having to babysit new digital coworkers that could potentially replace them. —Spencer Dorn, Forbes.com, 10 June 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