as in to watch
to take care of a child while the child's parents are away
She babysits their kids on Saturday nights.
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Recent Examples of babysit
Doug babysits Alexa’s 4-year-old son, Brady, getting on the floor and playing blocks with him.
—
Dan Pompei, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Liza would babysit Ron, and the two struck up a friendship.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2026
If there was a major illness, a death in the family or any other difficult situation, the freezer-friendly meals, offers to babysit and cards of condolences would flood in.
—Mika Ellison, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
The officer said animals seem to come with Yreka CHP’s territory; officers had to babysit a python and a tarantula while on duty last year.
—Monica Garske, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for babysit
Dan Pompei, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Liza would babysit Ron, and the two struck up a friendship.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2026
If there was a major illness, a death in the family or any other difficult situation, the freezer-friendly meals, offers to babysit and cards of condolences would flood in.
—Mika Ellison, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
The officer said animals seem to come with Yreka CHP’s territory; officers had to babysit a python and a tarantula while on duty last year.
—Monica Garske, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for babysit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for babysit
Verb
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The heartbroken mother of a 15-year-old boy who was beaten and fatally shot inside a Queens park as dozens of teens callously filmed the slaying on their phones condemned his killer — and those who did nothing but watch him die.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Race officials watched the first 10 women cross the finish line, but data from chips in the bibs indicated two other women also had crossed, although they were not observed by the officials.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps pasta or pizza with cheese is so comforting because we’re literally being mothered by flowering plants and bovines?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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One way to combat that, as a gardener, is to start plants by seed instead of buying plants that someone else has started, watered and mothered for months.—
Henry Homeyer,
The Providence Journal,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The brothers were each two years apart in age, but younger siblings were never babied; Nick recalled being on the receiving end of numerous pummelings by his older brothers.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
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Each new piece was crafted to be simple, functional, and beautiful, giving parents peace of mind and babies a nurturing space to grow.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Babysit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/babysit. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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