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

Partners might also be afforded leave, which would delay the need for childcare by six months or even a year. —Lauren Hilgers, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis charting tuition, school fees, and childcare across an average of U.S. cities has increased from an index of 100 in 1983 to 897 by September 2025. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025

Countries like Sweden, Norway and Finland offer paid parental leave and subsidized childcare but the birth rate remains low. —Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

Mamdani had focused on the cost of living throughout his campaign, promising rent freezes and free childcare and buses. —Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

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