care

noun

\ ˈker

Definition of care

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : suffering of mind : grief

2a : a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility oppressed by sickness, grief, or care— William Wordsworth

b : a cause for such anxiety

3a : painstaking or watchful attention his gentlemen conduct me with all care to some securest lodging— John Keats

b : maintenance floor-care products

4 : regard coming from desire or esteem a care for the common good

5 : charge, supervision under a doctor's care

6 : a person or thing that is an object of attention, anxiety, or solicitude The flower garden was her special care.

care

verb

cared; caring

Definition of care (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : 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

3a : 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

care less

: not to care —used positively and negatively with the same meaning I could care less what happensI couldn't care less what happens

Other Words from care Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about care

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for care

Noun

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

Happy Birthday: Take care of unfinished business, updates and matters that can affect you mentally, physically or financially. — Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, "Horoscopes: June 18, 2019," 18 June 2019 The Frankie Simone show takes care of two birds with one stone. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: Netflix’s Trinkets Recap," 15 June 2019 Her daughter, Audrey, took care of social media for the AFC and just graduated from high school with an internship offer from the UFC. — Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "After leading it to worldwide exposure, Sarah Lorimer sells Alaska Fighting Championship," 15 June 2019 The world is nuts, and taking care of yourself is important. — Katie Bain, Billboard, "Tritonal's Chad Cisneros on Dance Music and Sobriety: 'I'm Not Here to Judge Anybody Else's Value System'," 14 June 2019 And in order for them to have reached that age, someone must have been taking care of them. — David Grimm, Science | AAAS, "This diseased spine may hold clues to early dog-human relationship," 14 June 2019 Vequity also plans to take care of any environmental issues on the site. — Erin Hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville advisory group gives initial OK to replacing old Ogden Avenue gas station with new one," 13 June 2019 But those fairs aren’t situated along this urban stretch of road, flanked by used car lots and abandoned child care centers and rundown homes. — cincinnati.com, "From the Editor: Until you experience it, it's hard to comprehend the hidden costs of being poor," 13 June 2019 In 1978, Palchowdhury began to take care of the place with his father. — Chandrima Pal, Quartz India, "How a group of investors are preserving Kolkata’s architectural legacy," 12 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

For her entire life, Marion gave much of her time to caring for others. — courant.com, "Marion D. Lapienski," 19 June 2019 Montgomery, an aspiring playwright, observes a group of black friends in the neighborhood, sketches the characters and buildings around him — while his day-to-day is working at a fish market and caring for his nearly blind grandfather. — Teen Vogue, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," 18 June 2019 Tara handled caring for Patrick, while Gallagher tackled house projects. — oregonlive.com, "He never expected to be a single dad. Then a gunman in Virginia Beach made him one.," 17 June 2019 The researchers believe dogs, over their relatively short 33,000 years of domestication, used this eye muscle to communicate, possibly goading people to feed or care for them — or at least take them out to play. — NBC News, "Scientists take a peek behind those sad puppy dog eyes," 17 June 2019 For women, those goals often include caring for family members, and making a meaningful contribution to their communities. — Nela Richardson For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Women aren't doing enough to secure their financial future," 17 June 2019 In the same way individuals care for themselves by engaging in good habits like making healthy food choices and exercising, so too should spine health become central to daily activities. — Staff Report, Houston Chronicle, "Kelsey-Seybold Clinic physicians: Back pain affects 90% of those age 30 and older, cause of depression and anxiety for many," 17 June 2019 To Ohanian, all the posting about fatherhood helps people to see dads wiping butts and caring for sick kids as normal. — Emily Dreyfuss, WIRED, "In Praise of Dadfluencers," 16 June 2019 Even countries with relatively good parental leave policies for their citizens don’t seem to accept that their politicians might need to take time off, in a career that might span decades, to give birth and care for infants. — Cassie Werber, Quartz at Work, "Countries are finally having to confront the idea of giving politicians parental leave," 14 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'care.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for care

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about care

Dictionary Entries near care

Statistics for care

Last Updated

21 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for care

The first known use of care was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for care

care

noun

English Language Learners Definition of care

(Entry 1 of 2)

: effort made to do something correctly, safely, or without causing damage

: things that are done to keep someone healthy, safe, etc.

: things that are done to keep something in good condition

care

verb

English Language Learners Definition of care (Entry 2 of 2)

: to feel interest in something : to be interested in or concerned about something

: to feel affection for someone

somewhat formal : to want to do something or to be something

See the full definition for care in the English Language Learners Dictionary

care

noun

\ ˈker

Kids Definition of care

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : serious attention Care is needed when crossing a busy street.

2 : protection sense 1, supervision The injured player is under a doctor's care.

3 : proper maintenance of property or equipment

4 : a feeling of concern or worry He acts as if he hasn't a care in the world.

care

verb

cared; caring

Kids Definition of care (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to feel interest or concern We care about what happens to you.

2 : to provide help, protection, or supervision to : look after His job is to care for the sick.

3 : to have a liking or desire Do you care for more tea?

care

noun

\ ˈka(ə)r, ˈke(ə)r

Medical Definition of care

: responsibility for or attention to health, well-being, and safety — see acute care, health care, intensive care, primary care, tertiary care

Keep scrolling for more

care

noun

Legal Definition of care

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.

2a : personal supervision or responsibility : charge

b : maintenance