care

1 of 2

noun

ˈker 

plural cares

1

: suffering of mind : grief

2

a

: a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility

oppressed by sickness, grief, or care

—William Wordsworth

also : something that causes such a state : a particular worry, concern, etc.

Relax and leave all your cares behind.

b

: a cause for such anxiety

3

a

: painstaking or watchful attention

his gentlemen conduct me with all care to some securest lodging

—John Keats

see also take care

b

: maintenance

floor-care products

see also take care of

4

: regard coming from desire or esteem

a care for the common good

5

: charge, supervision

left the house in his care

especially : responsibility for or attention to health, well-being, and safety

under a doctor's care

see also health care, take care of

6

: a person or thing that is an object of attention, anxiety, or solicitude

The flower garden was her special care.

care

2 of 2

verb

cared; caring

intransitive verb

1

a

: to feel trouble or anxiety

cared for his safety

b

: to feel interest or concern

care about freedom

2

: to give care

care for the sick

3

a

: to have a liking, fondness, or taste

don't care for your attitude

b

: to have an inclination

would you care for some pie

transitive verb

1

: to be concerned about or to the extent of

don't care what they say

doesn't care a damn

2

: wish

if you care to go

carer noun

Phrases

care less

: not to care

—used positively and negatively with the same meaning

I could care less what happens

I couldn't care less what happens

Synonyms

Noun

• attention
• carefulness
• effort
• pains
• precision
• heed
• meticulousness
• conscientiousness

Verb

• watch

Choose the Right Synonym for care

care, concern, solicitude, anxiety, worry mean a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this.

care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension.

a face worn by years of care

concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection.

crimes caused concern in the neighborhood

solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another.

acted with typical maternal solicitude

anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure.

plagued by anxiety and self-doubt

worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety.

financial worries

Examples of care in a Sentence

Noun

She used care in selecting a doctor for her son.

The children have inadequate medical care and little formal education.

We need to provide poor people with better dental care.

She wrote a book about car care.

With proper care, the machine should last a decade or more.

She is an expert on skin care.

She knows a lot about the care and feeding of horses.

She looks as if all the cares of the world are on her shoulders.

Verb

He doesn't care if he gets fired.

I care what happens to her.

On Valentine's Day, send her flowers to show that you care.

I didn't know you cared.

I wouldn't care to be in your shoes right now.

I'm going for a walk. Would you care to join me?

He'll show the photos to anyone who cares to see them.

More factors influenced her decision than she cares to admit.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Congress set aside money for the programs to provide academic support, enrichment and child care to mostly low-income families. —Bianca Vázquez Toness, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025

Leguizamo passionately defended undocumented and legal immigrants as essential to the nation’s infrastructure, from food production and child care to healthcare and construction. —Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 14 July 2025

Verb

That sort of understanding, as most of us learn, can be in surprisingly short supply—not only because others don’t care enough to try but because sometimes there’s a gap that just can’t be bridged. —Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 14 July 2025

We’re praised for being caring, warm, and vulnerable, but only until those same qualities make someone else uncomfortable. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 14 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "sorrow, distress, concern," going back to Old English cearu, caru, going back to Germanic *karō (whence also Old Saxon kara "sorrow, worry," Old High German chara, Old Norse kǫr "sickbed," Gothic kara "concern") perhaps going back to an Indo-European base *ǵeh₂r-, *ǵh₂r- "make a sound, cry," whence Old Irish ad-gair "(s/he) accuses, sues," Middle Irish gáir "shout, cry," Welsh gawr, Greek gêrys "voice, speech," Middle Persian zryg, zryq "sorrow, suffering," Ossetic (Iron dialect) zæl- "make a sound," zar- "sing"

Note: The original meaning of the Indo-European verb base was perhaps "bewail the deceased," which might account for the divergent meanings "sorrow, care" and "make a sound, cry"; though given that the former meaning is only attested in Iranian and Germanic (in which the putative sense "make a sound," if it ever existed, has left no trace), it may be more likely that two separate Indo-European bases, one perhaps sound-symbolic, have partially merged. Note that the Indo-European reconstruction *ǵeh₂r-, *ǵh₂r- is based solely on presumed canonical root structure, as the only attested vocalisms for the base are *gar- and *gār-. Latin garrīre "to chatter, jabber," with geminate r, may be an unrelated onomatopoeic formation.

Verb

Middle English caren "to grieve, be anxious, be solicitous," going back to Old English cearian, carian, going back to Germanic *karōjan- (whence Old Saxon karon "to lament," Old High German karōn, Gothic karon "to be concerned"), derivative of *karō "sorrow, worry" — more at care entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing care

• care a damn
• care a darn
• care a hang
• care a hoot
• care and feeding
• care for
• care less
• care of
• care package
• care two hoots
• care worker
• child care
• could/couldn't care less
• critical care
• critical care unit
• day care
• devil-may-care
• elder care
• foster care
• give/care a sod
• health care
• in/into care
• intensive care
• intensive care unit
• in the care of
• life-care
• managed care
• not care/give a fig
• not have a care in the world
• point of care
• primary care
• secondary care
• see if I care
• self-care
• take care
• take care of
• take care of business
• tender loving care
• tertiary care
• under a doctor's care
• urgent care
• what does (someone) care
• with great care

Rhymes for care

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair
• fare

Kids Definition

care

1 of 2 noun

ˈke(ə)r 

ˈka(ə)r

1

: a heavy sense of responsibility

2

: serious attention

take care in crossing streets

3

: protection sense 1, supervision

under a doctor's care

4

: an object of one's care

care

2 of 2 verb

cared; caring

1

: to feel interest or concern

we care what happens

2

: to give care

care for the sick

3

: to have a liking or a desire

would you care for some pie?

carer noun

Medical Definition

care

noun

ˈka(ə)r, ˈke(ə)r 

: responsibility for or attention to health, well-being, and safety see acute care, chronic care, health care, intensive care entry 1, primary care, secondary care, tertiary care

care intransitive verb

cared; caring

Legal Definition

care

noun

1

: watchful or protective attention, caution, concern, prudence, or regard usually towards an action or situation

especially : due care

a person has a duty to use care in dealing with others, and failure to do so is negligence

—R. I. Mehr

see also due care, negligence, standard of care

Note: Statute, case law, and custom often impose a duty of care. The degree or standard of care owed varies depending on the circumstances. For example, a landlord has to exercise greater care in relation to a tenant than to a trespasser.

2

a

: personal supervision or responsibility : charge

b

: maintenance