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

Punch’s mother, a first-time mom, did not care for him after his birth, so he was raised by two humans at the Ichikawa City Zoo with the intent of reintroducing him to the zoo’s troop of macaques, a process that seems to have started in January. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 23 Feb. 2026

Contreras − who works as a carpenter’s assistant, in food delivery and was recently caring for older people − is traveling for the first time to the nation’s capital. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026

Regular nail care for pets will help prevent scratches, especially near feeding dishes. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 23 Feb. 2026

These Catholic bishops tell us that caring for creation is not just an Earth Day slogan. —Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for care for

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