caretaker

noun

care·​tak·​er ˈker-ˌtā-kər 

1

: one that gives physical or emotional care and support

served as caretaker to the younger children

2

: one that takes care of the house or land of an owner who may be absent

3

: one temporarily fulfilling the function of office

a caretaker government

caretake

ˈker-ˌtāk 

verb

caretaking

ˈker-ˌtā-kiŋ 

noun

Synonyms of caretaker

• custodian
• keeper
• janitor
• warden
• guardian

Examples of caretaker in a Sentence

We have a caretaker who watches the place for us while we are away.

hired a caretaker for the mansion during the winter months

Recent Examples on the Web

Hsu, the owner of the property being landscaped, a vacation rental, said Burke is a caretaker for an adjacent property and lives on the parcel. —Dennis Romero, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2026

The Terra Linda residence was unoccupied early Thursday morning when a caretaker with access to the surveillance feed noticed an intruder, police Sgt. —Gary Klien, Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2026

Mel’s whole identity is wrapped up in being a caretaker, for her family at first, and then for her sister, and now also in the emergency department. —Sam Reed, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026

Kanaiyah's story At age 16, Kanaiyah Ward took her own life inside a Marriott hotel near the Johns Hopkins Hospital campus last year after state investigators found she was neglected by the caretaker who was supposed to supervise her with hourly checks. —Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for caretaker

• automaker
• boilermaker
• cabinetmaker
• coffeemaker
• troublemaker
• undertaker
• blackacre
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker
• icebreaker

Kids Definition

caretaker

noun

care·​tak·​er ˈke(ə)r-ˌtā-kər 

ˈka(ə)r-

: one that takes care of buildings or land often for an absent owner