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

The Cubs took care of business against the Padres, advancing out of the Wild Card round by winning the series 2-1. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

Eldest daughters might help take care of their younger siblings, do chores around the house or take on their parents' emotional baggage when things get tough, according to the Cleveland Clinic. —Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025

Physics took care of the rest, and while knees and elbows were bloodied and egos were bruised, the ensuing spill may have worked in the league’s favor. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025

Michael Heaton, 76, takes care of his 31-year-old son, who has autism; the two live off Heaton’s Social Security and his son’s disability payments. —ProPublica, 3 Oct. 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