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

That needs to be taken care of moving forward. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

The acidic nature of vinegar should take care of loosening even the biggest, baddest rust stains. —Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2025

One family gave her twenty dollars for taking care of their two children for twelve hours. —Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

Husband's heartbreak A tearful Danny Hoang is now running the couple's nail salon by himself and taking care of their children. —Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 21 Nov. 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