day care

noun

variants or less commonly daycare

ˈdā-ˌker 

or day-care

1

: supervision of and care for children or physically or mentally disabled adults that is provided during the day by a person or organization

—often used before another noun

a day care center

day care workers

day-care facilities

2

: a program, facility, or organization offering day care

a child enrolled in day care

Examples of day care in a Sentence

She left work early to pick up her son from day care.

Recent Examples on the Web

There were also strong gains in prices of rental cars, vehicle maintenance, day care and preschool, nursing homes and in-home care. — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

The day care has since implemented a system that cross-references the bus and classroom logs. — Doug Myers, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

Nonprofit organizations eligible to apply for Securing Communities Against Hate Crime grants include religious organizations and houses of worship, community and civic centers, cultural museums and day care centers. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026

Wisconsin is experiencing its largest outbreak in decades, while Georgia health officials are working to contain a cluster tied to a metro Atlanta day care center. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for day care

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

Kids Definition

day care

noun

1

: supervision of and care for children or disabled adults that is provided during the day by a person or organization

2

: a program, facility, or organization offering day care