babysit

Or ba·by-sit

[bey-bee-sit]

verb (used without object)

babysat, babysitting 

1. to take charge of a child while the parents are temporarily away.

verb (used with object)

babysat, babysitting 

1. to take watchful responsibility for (a child).

   We're looking for someone to babysit the kids in the evening.

2. to take watchful responsibility for; tend.

   It will be necessary for someone to babysit the machine until it is running properly.

Other Word Forms

• babysitter noun
• baby-sitter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of babysit¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

She is happy to babysit during her holidays to help with childcare costs and said there were other bonuses.

From BBC

“You can identify who is who in the show by how Robby is treating them. Am I being deferential to their expertise and education, or do I assume that they don’t know s— and I have to babysit them?”

From Los Angeles Times

We can teach our sons to cook and encourage them to babysit.

From Slate

Eventually, their sniping forces the network to bring in an HR representative to babysit Ava and Deborah.

From Salon

"I used to babysit and take her to school, and pick her up at times when her parents were working. She was very joyful, very funny, very cheeky. She was just a bundle of joy."

From BBC