caution
Americannoun
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cautions
plural
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alertness and prudence in a hazardous situation; care; wariness.
Landslides ahead—proceed with caution.
- Synonyms:
- vigilance, heed, watchfulness, discretion, circumspection
- Antonyms:
- carelessness
-
a warning against danger or evil; anything serving as a warning.
By way of caution, he told me the difficulties I would face.
- Synonyms:
- counsel, advice, admonition
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Informal. a person or thing that astonishes or causes mild apprehension.
She's a caution. The way he challenges your remarks is a caution.
verb (used with object)
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cautions,
present (3rd person singular)
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cautioned,
past participle, past
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cautioning
present participle
verb (used without object)
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cautions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cautioned,
past participle, past
-
cautioning
present participle
noun
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care, forethought, or prudence, esp in the face of danger; wariness
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something intended or serving as a warning; admonition
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law a formal warning given to a person suspected or accused of an offence that his words will be taken down and may be used in evidence
-
a notice entered on the register of title to land that prevents a proprietor from disposing of his or her land without a notice to the person who entered the caution
-
informal an amusing or surprising person or thing
she's a real caution
verb
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(tr) to urge or warn (a person) to be careful
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(tr) law to give a caution to (a person)
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(intr) to warn, urge, or advise
he cautioned against optimism
Synonym Usage
See warn.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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cautionernoun
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overcautionnoun
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supercautionnoun
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recautionverb (used with object)
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uncautionedadjective
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well-cautionedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cautionsimple
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cautionssimple
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have cautionedperfect
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has cautionedperfect
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am cautioningprogressive
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are cautioningprogressive
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is cautioningprogressive
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have been cautioningperfect progressive
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has been cautioningperfect progressive
Past
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cautionedsimple
-
had cautionedperfect
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was cautioningprogressive
-
were cautioningprogressive
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had been cautioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of caution
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English caucion, from Latin cautiōn-, stem of cautiō “a taking care,” from caut(us) “taken care” (past participle of cavēre “to take care”) + -iō -ion; cf. caveat
Explanation
If you act with caution, it means you are careful. Be sure to use caution when walking across a patch of ice. Otherwise, you might end up sprawling face-first on the ground. Ouch! The noun caution can be used to describe something that calls for careful action and the need to avoid risk, such as a volatile political situation that requires extreme caution. The word also has a verb form with a similar meaning. It’s a more formal way of saying “warn” and usually appears with against or that, as in, "Teachers caution against waiting until the last minute to study," or, "They caution that effective studying takes a long time."
Vocabulary lists containing caution
"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 5
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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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:
But efforts were hampered on Sunday by rain and rising river waters, with Nepal's disaster authorities urging rescue teams to "exercise caution".
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Despite the companies’ strengthening relationship, Leaman would caution against tying Nvidia’s growth forecast too closely to a single customer.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
The IMF’s Georgieva sounded a note of caution even as she noted the spreading gains from AI, saying the technology’s rollout and its economic effects are still uncertain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Researchers caution that these results do not mean people with Type 1 diabetes should simply consume more turmeric or begin taking curcumin supplements.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
He cocked an eyebrow at the twins, who nibbled at the crimped edge of the pies with a look of determined caution.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Dr. Seema Yasmin, an educator, author and clinical assistant professor at Stanford University, cautions users.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Given that bitcoin has repeatedly suffered peak-to-trough drawdowns that last longer than traditional markets can stand, he cautions against assuming the bottom is in.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
One of the researchers cautions against viewing screen time as entirely harmful and says the goal should be to balance physical activity with screen use that encourages active thinking.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
In addition, the HPS fund cautions in filings that its Level 2 valuations “may be adjusted to reflect illiquidity and/or non-transferability.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
One day Meera and Jojen decided to go see the river, despite Leaf’s cautions.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
But he cautioned that no system was fool proof, and that some women's support groups have in the past voiced concern that such systems might give a false sense of security.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
In the early stages of the chip rally, he cautioned friends and co-workers, convinced that unquestioned faith in skyrocketing South Korean shares would end in tears when the fall came.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
However, they cautioned that other influences on brain health, including lifestyle and social engagement, could also contribute to the differences they observed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
The Agriculture Minister, Andrew Muir, cautioned that the strong performance is unlikely to be sustained through this year.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
They had been cautioned against making any demands tonight during dinner.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
“It’s clear from experience with Waymo that these autonomous vehicles can’t deal with unanticipated circumstances, so we are certainly cautioning about the dangers of 26,000 pounds barreling down the highways at 65 miles per hour.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
However, they soon tempered expectations, with Tehran cautioning a deal was "not imminent", while Trump said he had instructed his negotiators "not to rush into" one.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
His comment came after US President Donald Trump said negotiations were being conducted in an "orderly and constructive manner", even while cautioning that US negotiators had been advised "not to rush into a deal".
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
Likewise, a friend warned me against staying up through 2 a.m. for the premiere of Quentin Dupieux’s “Full Phil,” cautioning that it was the worst film they’d ever seen at Cannes in over a decade.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
She’s cautioning him about what he’s going to do with the knowledge, not the actual mushrooms.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
