childcare

noun

child·​care ˈchī(-ə)ld-ˌker How to pronounce childcare (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The panel proposed other incentives including possibly providing childcare for night shift employees. Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2025 Bird, who worked in childcare from a young age, has long known that motherhood wasn't for her. Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025 Mamdani has pitched a bevy of bad ideas such as freezing rent, providing free bus transportation and free childcare. Nicole Russell, USA Today, 27 June 2025 In the final days, a super PAC backing Cuomo is sending mailers, airing TV advertisements and expanding their ground game, criticizing Mamdani’s proposal to raise taxes on the wealthiest city residents to fund free buses and childcare. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for childcare

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of childcare was in 1896

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Cite this Entry

“Childcare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/childcare. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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