babysit
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
-
to take watchful responsibility for (a child).
We're looking for someone to babysit the kids in the evening.
-
to take watchful responsibility for; tend.
It will be necessary for someone to babysit the machine until it is running properly.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of babysit
First recorded in 1945–50
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:
One thing is clear: These lounges aren’t designed solely to babysit restless kids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Even if they can’t babysit your son, they might be able to grab groceries for you or run other errands, and take some tasks off your to-do list.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 9, 2026
Though her “Spike Cafe” is about a year old, she says she has to “continue to babysit it,” as pigeons aren’t exactly known for their tidiness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026
Social media posts show users "raising" their rice cakes, complaining about being at home to babysit, and dubbing them their new pets.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
Tía is usually on until at least four, which is why I have to help babysit every day.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Yesterday, we babysat our granddaughter while our daughter and her husband went out to lunch to celebrate her birthday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Well, first of all, the version of “Mary Poppins” that babysat millions of us wouldn’t exist.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025
As a high-schooler in the 1950s, Kay Washburn babysat for 50 hours to afford her $25 dream dress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Berkeley City Councilmember Ben Bartlett said Harris once babysat him when she was in junior high while he spent time at his aunt’s house in Oakland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2024
The first was being babysat by some boy in a uniform holding a broken skateboard across his lap, stroking it like a hurt dog.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
Third place went to Pogacar's Mexican team-mate Isaac del Toro, who won stage two thanks largely to Pogacar's babysitting pace in the lead-up to the line.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Most employees now spend over six hours a week of their workday babysitting their work chatbots, the survey said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Rachel said all of her friends her age either give their kids money or give them substantial nonfinancial help, like babysitting the grandchildren regularly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Her version: "He needs somebody there for him 100 percent of the time ... That's not love, it's babysitting."
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
“Elizabeth’s older brother, David, is babysitting all three boys: the twins and Elizabeth’s younger brother, too. They’re going to make popcorn and watch superhero movies.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
