caretaker

American  

[kair-tey-ker] / ˈkɛərˌteɪ kər /

noun

• caretakers
  plural

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

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

3. British. a janitor.

4. a person who takes care of another.

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adjective

1. involving the temporary performance of the duties of an office.

   a caretaker government.

caretaker British  

/ ˈkɛəˌteɪkə /

noun

1. a person who is in charge of a place or thing, esp in the owner's absence

   the caretaker of a school

2. (modifier) holding office temporarily; interim

   a caretaker government

3. social welfare a person who takes care of a vulnerable person, often a close relative See also carer

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• caretaking
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• caretakers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of caretaker

First recorded in 1855–60; care + take ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

When you work as a caretaker, you look after a house or a piece of property. The caretaker of a grand old estate might live in a small cottage on its grounds. A caretaker might make small repairs to a house, weed a property's flower gardens, or mow the lawn. Some caretakers live in the house they care for, often during an off season when its main inhabitants don't stay there. You can also use the word to mean "caregiver," a person who takes care of someone who's elderly or ill, or to refer to someone who looks after animals.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caretaker caretakers

As long as no new government is sworn into office, the departing CDU state premier would continue to govern in a caretaker capacity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Is it enough to make United serious contenders after Michael Carrick took them to third place and back into the Champions League last season after succeeding Ruben Amorim in a caretaker capacity?

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

I became disabled in my 20s, which freed me from the caretaker role my family expected — and set me apart from them permanently.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

He was survived by his wife and stepdaughter, and was the primary caretaker for his elderly parents at the time of his death, department officials said last year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Not long after our parents left, Miss Lilian hired a caretaker, a lazy old man named Jimmy Watts.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

No caretakers and no urn—just a statute of the god, the flowers and the street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

They become caretakers and give up work early, losing years of potential income.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

At this new Mommy and Me tennis class, caretakers aren’t just dropping off their kids — they are dropping into the game and staging their own personal comeback stories.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Under BlueCo's leadership, Chelsea have won two major honours - the Conference League and Club World Cup - and have now reached three finals under eight managers, including caretakers and interims.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026

Your grandfather and I are the caretakers of this estate.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Related Words

• curator
• custodian
• janitor
• keeper
• sitter
• superintendent
• supervisor
• warden