childcare

noun

child·​care ˈchī(-ə)ld-ˌker 

variants or child care

: the care of children especially as a service while parents are working

Erratic week-to-week work schedules make it nearly impossible to manage a personal budget or secure childcare.

—David Dayen

Examples of childcare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prioritizing whole ingredients requires more preparation time, something lower-income Americans working multiple jobs or balancing childcare may not have, Ortega noted. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026

Earlier this month, the administration tried to put on hold funds for childcare subsidies and other aid for low-income families in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, citing the possibility of fraud. —Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026

There will be childcare provided so parents can attend as well. —Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

Moving to a more flexible job to manage childcare or eldercare responsibilities can be a reinvention. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for childcare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• compare
• cookware