take care

idiomatic phrase

1

: to be careful or watchful : to exercise caution or prudence

Because fish is more delicate than beef, take care when pounding it thin.

—Sam Gugino

Patients also should take care in storing their drugs because heat exposure could affect their efficacy, [Aaron] Bernstein says.

—Marlene Cimons

—often used informally to express good wishes when parting, at the end of a message, etc.

I'll see you next week. Take care!

2

: to give particular attention to doing or not doing something

When he had finished writing, Cluny pushed the parchment under his pillow, taking care to leave just a small corner of it jutting out.

—Brian Jacques

In this land of ritual, Westerners should take care to inform themselves of protocol.

—Jeff Morgan

Open oysters carefully just before they are required, taking care not to spill the liquor in their deep shells.

—Elizabeth Craig

see also take care of

Examples of take care in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But to get to what would have been the final game of their season, the Charlotte Checkers had to take care of business on their home ice Monday night against the Abbotsford Canucks. —Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2025

In tragedy there was also solidarity, with protestors masked and motivated and taking care of one another. —Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025

Aim to create a place where everyone can relax, escape everyday life and take care of themselves. —Roxana Diaconu, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

If your July 4 plans are already set, take care of your shopping before the holiday week kicks off with these Lululemon must-haves hiding in the We Made Too Much section. —Nicol Natale, People.com, 23 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for take care

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware