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

According to police paperwork, Rivera told police that her 8-year-old son is autistic and her older son often babysits. —Erika Stanish, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026

Doug babysits Alexa’s 4-year-old son, Brady, getting on the floor and playing blocks with him. —Dan Pompei, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

Liza would babysit Ron, and the two struck up a friendship. —Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2026

If there was a major illness, a death in the family or any other difficult situation, the freezer-friendly meals, offers to babysit and cards of condolences would flood in. —Mika Ellison, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026

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