caretaker
Americannoun
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a person who is in charge of the maintenance of a building, estate, etc.; superintendent.
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a person or group that temporarily performs the duties of an office.
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British. a janitor.
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a person who takes care of another.
adjective
noun
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a person who is in charge of a place or thing, esp in the owner's absence
the caretaker of a school
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(modifier) holding office temporarily; interim
a caretaker government
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social welfare a person who takes care of a vulnerable person, often a close relative See also carer
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing caretaker
The Circuit
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The Shining
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A Boy Called Bat
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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:
Related: ‘She wants him gone’: My friend took in a homeless man as a caretaker.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
A woman wrote to the caretaker of a collapsed apartment building in Caraballeda, one of the worst-hit areas, about 40 kilometers from Caracas, to say she was still alive, volunteer rescuer Daniel Pino told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
If a child isn’t acting exactly how a parent or caretaker would prefer at any moment, is that the barrier where our love for them ceases, even momentarily?
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Bellamy was assistant to Vincent Kompany at Burnley between 2022 and 2024 and had a brief spell as caretaker boss.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
She remembered the old woman’s words when she had been half awake and mistaking Ophie for her previous caretaker: My dear, sweet Clara.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
In the Abramovich era, which stretched from July 2003 to May 2022, Chelsea won 18 major honours and two Community Shields, contesting 30 finals under 15 managers, including caretakers and interims.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026
Because of outstanding leases, third-party caretakers were getting one final season to manage 3,500-odd acres, “through 2026,” added Kiernan, in the announcement.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
For years, scientists believed astrocytes mainly acted as caretakers, helping hold neurons together and keeping brain circuits running smoothly.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2026
At one point, they were kicked out of the Austrian refugee program and became homeless until a Catholic priest took them in and made them caretakers of a medieval church.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2026
“Two of our trusted caretakers are here to make sure you're all settled in. We've also ordered the automats to assist with tidying.”
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
