care for

verb

cared for; caring for; cares for

1

: to do the things that are needed to help and protect (a person or animal) : look after (someone or something)

She cares for elderly patients.

Who is caring for your son while you are at work?

2

: to feel affection for (someone)

I got the feeling he never really cared for me.

3

somewhat formal : to like or enjoy (something)

—often used in negative statements

I don't care for jelly beans.

I don't care for your tone of voice.

4

somewhat formal : to want (something)

Would you care for some pie?

Examples of care for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jonathan Adorno, 49, was charged with misdemeanor failure to yield to a pedestrian causing injury and failure to exercise due care for the collision that killed 31-year-old Nilufar Komilova on March 10. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026

My dad had carefully cared for his 1941 Buick Super, but age had taken its toll. —E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026

In this guide, experts share how—and when—to plant and care for your own wildflower meadow, turning your backyard into a thriving environment. —Ann Hinga Klein, Martha Stewart, 28 Apr. 2026

Offering to help with child care for a parent who needs a break. —Jewel Photopolus, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for care for

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore