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

Not in our communities, but protecting assets & high priority targets downtown so that our @Chicago_Police don’t have to babysit the Bean or Buckingham Fountain for eight hours a day. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

Jarrett said Swift, who used to babysit his daughters, has maintained contact with his family, which has meant the world to his little ones. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025

Managers may have moved on to new vehicles while continuing to babysit a handful of aging assets. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025

Jamie Mueller, Bills fullback 1987-91: Marv didn’t want to babysit. —Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Aug. 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