Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

not care/give a fig

idiom

Definition of not care/give a fig

informal + old-fashioned
: to not care anything at all
  • He doesn't care a fig about what others think.
  • I don't give a fig whether he comes or goes.

Word by Word Definitions

care play

  1. : suffering of mind : grief

  2. : a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility

  3. : a cause for such anxiety

  1. : to feel trouble or anxiety

  2. : to feel interest or concern

  3. : to give care

See the full definition of care
give play

  1. : to make a present of

  2. : to grant or bestow by formal action

  3. : to accord or yield to another

  1. : capacity or tendency to yield to force or strain : flexibility

  2. : the ability of a material to bend or stretch

See the full definition of give
fig play

  1. : an oblong or pear-shaped syconium fruit of a tree (genus Ficus) of the mulberry family

  2. : a tree bearing figs

  3. : a worthless trifle : the least bit

  1. : dress, array

See the full definition of fig

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up not care/give a fig? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games