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

Other Democratic candidates include Chris Espinosa, a federal policy advisor; businessman Liam Andres O’Neill Hernandez; physician Sonia Kacker; and Sasan Samadzadeh, a construction inspector and caretaker. —Linh Tat, Daily News, 23 May 2026

Kaziha, 78, a husband, father and grandfather, was the center’s caretaker and a vital presence there for decades. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2026

Rescuing utopian idyll from dystopian reality, Koreeda determines that humanity is too fragile to forfeit its defining qualities to a mechanical species; that our only viable function in an artificial tomorrow is as the eternal caretakers of memory and imagination. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 May 2026

Proctor was his primary caretaker while working full time as a nurse to make ends meet. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 16 May 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