care for
phrasal 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
Far from abdicating responsibility, these young adults were embracing it and moving, however slowly, into their future roles of caring for us.
—
Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
That's when Hausman, with an infant to care for, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
MedGlobal cared for one infant, Rafeef, who weighed just four pounds at birth.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
The National Alliance for Caregiving provides specific guides for memory loss, mental illness and people caring for seriously ill children.
—Kat McGowan, NPR, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for care for
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Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
That's when Hausman, with an infant to care for, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
MedGlobal cared for one infant, Rafeef, who weighed just four pounds at birth.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
The National Alliance for Caregiving provides specific guides for memory loss, mental illness and people caring for seriously ill children.
—Kat McGowan, NPR, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for care for
Cite this Entry
“Care for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/care%20for. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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