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:
On a Saturday, I will happily get up at 6 a.m. with coffee to babysit yeasted cinnamon rolls or start whisking hollandaise.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 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
And further I suspect the newlyweds just want us on the trip to babysit my mother-in-law.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 8, 2025
We were so out of control that a lot of older kids’ parents didn’t allow them to babysit us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
They’re still going to want me to babysit every week because they think I’m such a good influence.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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
Once, he babysat for Dreyer’s 3-year old daughter and upon finding out she loved school buses, set out to stop one in the street in order to give her a ride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
To give directions to the driver in the car slowing beside you, to be polite to the father of the kids you babysat, to be friendly and fun at the party?
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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
A number of Styles’ most committed fans work side gigs on top of their 9-to-5 to earn extra money for extra shows: dog walking, babysitting, or helping brands with their social media and digital marketing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 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
A parent who refuses to share basic caregiving responsibilities places an unfair and unrealistic burden on the other partner — and on you, if you are spending time babysitting while he is upstairs.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
“I’ve seen you making words for Jason and you’ve been babysitting a lot lately.”
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
