caregiver

noun

care·​giv·​er ˈker-ˌgi-vər 

plural caregivers

: a person who provides direct care (as for children, elderly people, or the chronically ill)

The care of a patient with Alzheimer's Disease or a related disorder can be a physical, emotional and financial drain on the family caregiver.

—Diane Duquette Ascioti

Each child was rated by at least one parent. Questionnaires completed by another significant caregiver (teacher or daycare provider) were available on 85% of the sample …

—Alan E. Kazdin et al.

You probably can imagine the difficulty a caregiver can have getting an immobile patient into a whirlpool.

—Paul G. Donahue

caregiving

ˈker-ˌgi-viŋ 

noun

… researchers have repeatedly documented the psychiatric and physical health effects of family caregiving.

—Richard Schulz et al.

Many readers … had their own stories of being treated badly at work because of caregiving duties.

—Sue Shellenbarger

One of the most significant ways you can help animals, educate yourself about the joys and heartbreaks of caregiving and earn untold psychic rewards is to volunteer at a shelter.

—Wendy Christensen

Synonyms

• carer
• caretaker
• guardian

Examples of caregiver in a Sentence

When she got sick her husband became her primary caregiver.

he could no longer keep up his role as caregiver for his sick wife

Recent Examples on the Web

Organizations like the American Cancer Society have information and support groups for parents and caregivers. —Sarah Klein, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

Uniqueness: Gift-giving is the time to splurge or surprise new parents and caregivers. —Maya Polton, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024

Role of a caregiver Johnson and her husband moved into the house where her sister and her mother were living eight months ago. —Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024

For practicing primary care physicians, in addition to training focused on diagnostic skills and new treatments, training about caregiver support, community living options, and home and driving safety is equally important. —Katherine O'Malley, STAT, 27 Mar. 2024

Official safety guidance from the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends not leaving children to swim unattended and encourages parents and caregivers to learn how to give CPR. —Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024

Have the conversation early Elizabeth Farrell, a clinical social worker with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, says that a lot of caregivers' first instinct may be to choose not to tell their children, hoping to protect them. —Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024

Only dads wore street clothes and had no official role—a reflection of a traditional society in which mothers are expected to be married to fathers and tend to be the primary caregivers. —Clarissa Wei, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2024

Nor can grandparents and other caregivers who take children to routine appointments when parents can’t. —Amy Maxmen, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

caregiver

noun

care·​giv·​er -ˌgiv-ər 

: a person who provides direct care (as for children, elderly people, or the chronically ill)

parents and other caregivers

caregiving

-iŋ 

noun