care
noun
a state of mind in which one is troubled; worry, anxiety, or concern.
care
1 American
[kair]
/ kɛər /
noun
-
cares
plural
-
a state of mind in which one is troubled; worry, anxiety, or concern.
He was never free from care.
-
a cause or object of worry, anxiety, concern, etc..
A massage is an excellent way to forget your cares for a little while.
Their son has always been a heavy care to them.
-
serious attention; solicitude; heed; caution.
She devotes great care to her work.
-
the provision of what is needed for the well-being or protection of a person or thing.
He is under the care of a doctor.
With proper care, the watch will last a lifetime.
-
temporary keeping, as for the benefit of or until claimed by the owner.
He left his valuables in the care of friends.
Address my mail in care of the American Embassy.
-
grief; suffering; sorrow.
verb (used without object)
-
cares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cared,
past participle, past
-
caring
present participle
-
to be concerned or solicitous; have thought or regard.
You can just tell she cares for people's feelings by the way she talks to them.
-
to be concerned or have a special preference (usually used in negative constructions).
I don't care where we go, I just want to get out of town for a bit.
-
to make provision or look out (usually followed byfor ).
Will you care for the children while I am away?
-
to have an inclination, liking, fondness, or affection (usually followed byfor ).
Would you care for dessert?
I don't care for him very much.
verb (used with object)
-
cares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cared,
past participle, past
-
caring
present participle
-
to feel concern about.
He doesn't care what others say.
-
to wish; desire; like.
Would you care to dance?
verb phrase
idioms
-
take care,
-
be alert; be careful.
Take care that you don't fall on the ice!
-
take care of yourself; goodbye: used as an expression of parting.
-
-
take care of,
-
to watch over; be responsible for.
to take care of an invalid.
-
to deal with; attend to.
I'll take care of the bill, and you can go out and get the car started.
-
-
couldn't care less, could not care less; be completely unconcerned: Also could care less.
I couldn't care less whether she goes to the party or not.
CARE
2
American
[kair]
/ kɛər /
Or
Care
noun
care
1
British
/ kɛə /
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to be troubled or concerned; be affected emotionally
he is dying, and she doesn't care
-
(intr; foll by for or about) to have regard, affection, or consideration (for)
he cares more for his hobby than his job
-
to have a desire or taste (for)
would you care for some tea?
-
to provide physical needs, help, or comfort (for)
the nurse cared for her patients
-
(tr) to agree or like (to do something)
would you care to sit down, please?
-
I am completely indifferent
noun
-
careful or serious attention
under her care the plant flourished
he does his work with care
-
protective or supervisory control
in the care of a doctor
-
(often plural) trouble; anxiety; worry
-
an object of or cause for concern
the baby's illness was her only care
-
caution
handle with care
-
Usual abbreviation: c/o. at the address of: written on envelopes
-
social welfare made the legal responsibility of a local authority by order of a court
CARE
2
British
/ kɛə /
acronym
-
Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere, Inc.; a federation of US charities, giving financial and technical assistance to many regions of the world
-
communicated authenticity, regard, empathy: the three qualities believed to be essential in the therapist practising client-centred therapy
care
More Idioms
Usage
Couldn't care less, a phrase used to express indifference, is sometimes heard as could care less, which ought to mean the opposite but is intended to be synonymous with the former phrase. Both versions are common mainly in informal speech.
Synonym Usage
To take care, pains, trouble (to do something) implies watchful, conscientious effort to do something exactly right. To take care implies the performance of one particular detail: She took care to close the cover before striking the match. To take pains suggests a sustained carefulness, an effort to see that nothing is overlooked but that every small detail receives attention: to take pains with fine embroidery. To take trouble implies an effort that requires a considerable amount of activity and exertion: to take the trouble to make suitable arrangements.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
caresimple
-
caressimple
-
have caredperfect
-
has caredperfect
-
am caringprogressive
-
are caringprogressive
-
is caringprogressive
-
have been caringperfect progressive
-
has been caringperfect progressive
Past
-
caredsimple
-
had caredperfect
-
was caringprogressive
-
were caringprogressive
-
had been caringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of care1
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun care “sadness, sorrow, grief,” Old English caru, cearu, cognate with Gothic kara, Old High German chara “lament”
Origin of CARE2
First recorded in 1945–50; shortening of C(ooperative for) A(merican) R(elief) E(verywhere)
Explanation
To care is to feel concern, and care is attention given, tending, or upkeep. If you care about how your garden grows, you will take care to water it often, remove weeds, and talk to your plants about the weather. Care can be a noun or a verb. As a noun, it originally had the sense of “sorrow, anxiety” or “serious mental attention,” and now means “oversight, protection.” If you have a fragile package, you might write "handle with care" on the box. As a verb, care means “to feel concern or interest” — as in, "If you care about your health you'll put down that cigarette!" If someone says she "couldn't care less," then she does not care at all.
Vocabulary lists containing care
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Finding reliable dog sitters who treat the animals with care, dignity and respect may not be as easy as it sounds.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
After everyone else is fed, taken care of, and ready to go, you can focus on yourself.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
Artisanal butter has become Paris’s must-have status souvenir, supplanting Ladurée macarons and drugstore skin care.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Eleanor Bell is now 23, but was taken into care when she was 10.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
There wasn’t enough staff, food, or medicine to adequately care for any of them.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
"If large numbers of rescued dogs had entered adoption programmes, animal groups like us would know about them," said Kim Young-hwan, a representative of animal rights group CARE.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
"It's concerning because this legislation aims to protect vulnerable women, and it aims to combat human trafficking," said Dr Rebecca Stevenson of CARE.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2024
At least one aid group, CARE, said that its team had been forced to briefly retreat from Kherson because of increased shelling and artillery attacks in the city.
From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
Dr. LeRoy Carhart, the founder of CARE, said he would follow the law if the ordinance is approved, which could mean relocating from Bellevue, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
In January 1996, Fischer led a high-profile fund-raising ascent of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, that netted half a million dollars for the charity CARE.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
But honestly, who cares about gas prices and grocery bills?
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
He cares tremendously about humanity and understands that an insolvent U.S. can’t solve our problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
"No one cares about the city," she charged, calling the waste management service "useless".
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Rybakina's ascent to the top of the world rankings is already assured but she has made it clear that for all the prestige of being number one, winning titles is what she really cares about.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Aw, come on, who cares what he thinks,” I said.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
I wanted to bring light to her as a wonderful woman who cared for people, both in Deaf and hearing communities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
After initially going into remission, Maya's neuroblastoma returned three years ago, and has since been cared for by specialist teams including at the Royal Marsden hospital in London, and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
It also names the University of Texas Science Center at San Antonio and three of the doctors who cared for Walker.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
The youngsters, estimated to be about one-and-a-half years old, appeared to be healthy and were being cared for at a zoo after their rescue, the ministry said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
The poor little thing would have died on his own, so I cared for him, and adopted him as my son.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Importantly, the doctors and other clinical staff caring for the patients did not know their vitamin D status, reducing the chance that this information could influence pain treatment.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
A stressed daughter who is caring for her sick mother leaves her in the emergency department and then can't be found.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The initiative, “Obstetric Emergencies in Nonobstetric Settings,” offers resources for emergency departments on caring for pregnant patients with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and eclampsia.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
They also are experiencing sticker shock when it comes to the cost of caring for those furry family members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
And just caring about Teddy and trying seems like a pretty low bar.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
