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babysit

verb
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ba·​by·​sit | \ ˈbā-bē-ˌsit How to pronounce babysit (audio) \
babysat\ ˈbā-​bē-​ˌsat How to pronounce babysat (audio) \; babysitting

Definition of babysit

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
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Other Words from babysit

babysitter noun

Examples of babysit in a Sentence

She babysits their kids on Saturday nights.
Recent Examples on the Web The 26-year-old woman moved into their home and helped babysit while Elizabeth’s mom worked. — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE.com, "Family of Infant Kidnapped by Babysitter More Than 30 Years Ago Believes ‘He Is Still Alive’," 19 Nov. 2019 But the advisor’s wife had recently given birth to triplets, and my mother was asked to babysit. — Longreads, "Jersey Girl," 2 Jan. 2020 That means no crafty handmade thing, no donation to anything in your name and no handwritten promise to babysit or to rake leaves. — Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, "The joy of a no-gift Christmas. Believe people when they say not to give a present.," 14 Dec. 2019 But when Jane Doe 4 showed up to the rental home there were no children to babysit and Epstein offered her alcohol and drugs before raping her, the lawsuit alleges. — Laura Ly, CNN, "Two new Epstein accusers have come forward in lawsuit against his estate," 24 Dec. 2019 Unfortunately, something has come up and my parents can no longer babysit. — Judith Martin, Washington Post, "Miss Manners: To unwrap or not to unwrap," 27 Nov. 2019 Meyer three years ago told of sending Studrawa to California to babysit Davis’ block in the leadup to Signing Day. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, "How Ohio State football’s 2017 class turned 7 elite recruits into 7 college stars on a championship-level team," 27 Dec. 2019 Illinois Chicago: The interim police superintendent has demoted a commander whom the city’s inspector general accused of directing on-duty officers under him to babysit his son with special needs. — USA TODAY, "Eel-powered tree, skateboard safety, red light on herring: News from around our 50 states," 5 Dec. 2019 Yesterday, his first full day on the job, Beck demoted a police commander who directed on-duty officers to babysit his son. — Lisa Donovan, chicagotribune.com, "The Spin: There’s definitely a lingering hangover in the Johnson case," 4 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'babysit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of babysit

1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

History and Etymology for babysit

back-formation from babysitter

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Time Traveler for babysit

Time Traveler

The first known use of babysit was in 1944

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Statistics for babysit

Last Updated

5 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Babysit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/babysit. Accessed 3 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for babysit

babysit

verb
How to pronounce babysit (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of babysit

: to take care of a child while the child's parents are away

See the full definition for babysit in the English Language Learners Dictionary

babysit

verb
ba·​by·​sit | \ ˈbā-bē-ˌsit How to pronounce babysit (audio) \
babysat\ -​ˌsat \; babysitting

Kids Definition of babysit

: to care for a child while the child's parents are away

More from Merriam-Webster on babysit

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for babysit

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with babysit

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