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

The lower level of the building, which used to serve as a day care, could become an arts marketplace, Burghdoff said. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026

Tuesday, Barberena picked up the 6-year-old from his day care and drove him to his school. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026

Depending on the policy, benefits may help pay for nursing home care, assisted living, in-home care, adult day care and other long-term support services. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 3 June 2026

For decades, blue-collar jobs had outnumbered white-collar ones, and public services were plentiful and well-functioning—hospitals, day cares, parks, free education. —Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 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