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:
By then, Kent had already earned the trust of neighbors who hired him to mow their lawns or babysit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
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
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
‘I have to be home by six. I promised I’d babysit for my younger brother. Another time, though? Perhaps we could hang out next Saturday, too?’
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Yesterday, we babysat our granddaughter while our daughter and her husband went out to lunch to celebrate her birthday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
“My mom had to work, so I stayed with my grandparents and watched TV, and when I was 12 or 13, I babysat for a few different families.”
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
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
Some days, he babysat his 8-year-old brother, who couldn’t sit through Zoom classes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2023
At her new home in the northeastern United States, her mother cleaned house and babysat two toddlers.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
She earns £10 an hour babysitting, which she said had gone towards her £30 lessons alongside help from her parents.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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
Happily, you appear to be helping them with babysitting duties while your son-in-law plays the piano on an upper floor.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
I told them that his dad had lost his job, and that I had been sending my babysitting money, but that it was not enough.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
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.
