carer

British  

/ ˈkɛərə /

noun

1. Usual US and Canadian term: caregiver.  social welfare a person who has accepted responsibility for looking after a vulnerable neighbour or relative See also caretaker

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Explanation

A carer is someone who tends to a patient or looks after a young child or elderly person. If your grandfather is very ill, he may need the help of a carer at home. A carer, also called a caregiver, is sometimes a paid helper whose job is caring for people, like a home health aide or a babysitter. Often family members act as carers, tending to elderly or ailing relatives. If your uncle helps your grandfather get into his wheelchair and take his medicine each day, he's a carer. This word is from care and its Old English root, which means both "feel concern" and "grieve."

Example Sentences

A French toy spaniel named Lazare thought to have been "the world's oldest dog" has died aged 30, his carer said on Friday.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

"Most of us are either going to be a carer at some point or indeed going to be cared for," she says.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

He said Garner was the primary carer for his partner Lauren Lawler, who had been diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin's lymphoma and, when she was ill, he cared for their children.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Alphie Lonergan is 84 years old and the primary carer for two of his adult children.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

She’d come out with something like: “Have you thought any more about becoming Tommy’s carer? You know you could arrange it, if you wanted to.”

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro