babysit
verb
ba·by·sit
ˈbā-bē-ˌsit 
babysat
ˈbā-bē-ˌsat
; babysitting
; babysitting
: to care for children usually during a short absence of the parents
broadly
: to give care
babysit for a neighbor's pets
babysitter
noun
Examples of babysit in a Sentence
She babysits their kids on Saturday nights.
Recent Examples on the Web
If one of my parents needed to step out for a moment, there was no need to quickly find a nanny or go through the hassle of strapping a toddler into a car seat, because if my aunt couldn't babysit there were two teenagers floating around with no real responsibilities.
—
Tanikia Carpenter, Parents, 19 Nov. 2023
So my mom hired the local neighborhood girls to babysit my sister, Chrissy.
—Matt Thompson, Spin, 26 Sep. 2023
On the day of Savannah’s death, Greninger was supposed to babysit.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023
Casey's mother had been best friends in childhood with Johnson's older sister and even helped babysit him.
—CBS News, 1 Aug. 2023
Sirocco’s temper can unleash powerful storms, which is why no one else in the kingdom dares come close, or so we’re told by Agnès (Géraldine Asselin), the exhausted fantasy writer who’s agreed to babysit the two sisters.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 June 2023
Auburn sets up an oil-and-water dynamic, as circumstances — needing each other to babysit — emulsify them together.
—Vulture, 25 Apr. 2023
Despite Teddy offering to increase security around the hospital's daycare, Bailey decided to ask Lucas to babysit her daughter.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
This is usually as a demand to babysit.
—Annie Lane, oregonlive, 30 Nov. 2020
See More
Tanikia Carpenter, Parents, 19 Nov. 2023
So my mom hired the local neighborhood girls to babysit my sister, Chrissy.
—Matt Thompson, Spin, 26 Sep. 2023
On the day of Savannah’s death, Greninger was supposed to babysit.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023
Casey's mother had been best friends in childhood with Johnson's older sister and even helped babysit him.
—CBS News, 1 Aug. 2023
Sirocco’s temper can unleash powerful storms, which is why no one else in the kingdom dares come close, or so we’re told by Agnès (Géraldine Asselin), the exhausted fantasy writer who’s agreed to babysit the two sisters.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 June 2023
Auburn sets up an oil-and-water dynamic, as circumstances — needing each other to babysit — emulsify them together.
—Vulture, 25 Apr. 2023
Despite Teddy offering to increase security around the hospital's daycare, Bailey decided to ask Lucas to babysit her daughter.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
This is usually as a demand to babysit.
—Annie Lane, oregonlive, 30 Nov. 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'babysit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
back-formation from babysitter
First Known Use
1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near babysit
Cite this Entry
“Babysit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/babysit. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
babysit
verb
ba·by·sit
ˈbā-bē-ˌsit
babysat
-ˌsat
; babysitting
; babysitting
: to care for children usually while the parents are away for a short time
babysitter
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on babysit
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for babysit
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