care for

phrasal verb

cared for; caring for; cares for

1

: to do the things that are needed to help and protect (a person or animal) : look after (someone or something)

She cares for elderly patients.

Who is caring for your son while you are at work?

2

: to feel affection for (someone)

I got the feeling he never really cared for me.

3

somewhat formal : to like or enjoy (something)

—often used in negative statements

I don't care for jelly beans.

I don't care for your tone of voice.

4

somewhat formal : to want (something)

Would you care for some pie?

Examples of care for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most of the players didn’t have green thumbs and weren’t accustomed to caring for plants, especially with their itinerant lifestyles. —Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

The animals will still be cared for and fed. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025

With her partner working full-time and no money for daycare, Menish attended classes remotely while caring for her son full-time. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

To this day, our families still touch base with each other though the woman my mother cared for has passed and the kids have grown to college age and TikTok stardom. —Kurtcia Collazo, IndyStar, 11 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for care for

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore