caretaker

[ kair-tey-ker ]

/ ˈkɛərˌteɪ kər /

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See synonyms for: caretaker / caretaking on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who is in charge of the maintenance of a building, estate, etc.; superintendent.

a person or group that temporarily performs the duties of an office.

British. a janitor.

a person who takes care of another.

adjective

involving the temporary performance of the duties of an office: a caretaker government.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of caretaker

First recorded in 1855–60; care + take + -er¹

OTHER WORDS FROM caretaker

caretaking, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use caretaker in a sentence

He's care-taker during the summer for a house in River Forest, Hooligan is, and he took the girl there.
Motor Matt's Daring Rescue|Stanley R. Matthews
Susannah was the care-taker of the family and looked after the farm, inheriting the Richardson energy and thrift.
The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2)|Ida Husted Harper
Even the care-taker went within the thick walls of the castle, remembering, perhaps, that she also had been young once.
Story of Chester Lawrence|Nephi Anderson
In what probably had been the priest's quarters in bygone days, they found an old woman who lived there as care-taker.
Talbot's Angles|Amy E. Blanchard

George's father died when he was only eleven years old, but his mother proved a good care-taker for him.
Harper's Young People, April 13, 1880|Various

British Dictionary definitions for caretaker

caretaker

/ (ˈkɛəˌteɪkə) /

noun

a person who is in charge of a place or thing, esp in the owner's absencethe caretaker of a school

(modifier) holding office temporarily; interima caretaker government

social welfare a person who takes care of a vulnerable person, often a close relativeSee also carer

Derived forms of caretaker

caretaking, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

caretaker

Origin of caretaker

OTHER WORDS FROM caretaker

Words related to caretaker

How to use caretaker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caretaker

Derived forms of caretaker