caretaker
Americannoun
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caretakers
plural
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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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Devils Like Us
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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:
Seven years apart, United did the same thing twice hoping for different results - appointing a club legend who last managed in Britain in the Championship after a good start as caretaker boss.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
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
The couple at the residence were in their 90s and usually had a caretaker with them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
‘She wants him gone’: My friend took in a homeless man as a caretaker.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
“A good night to you,” said the stranger whom Jack had taken for a caretaker.
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
“We’re just caretakers of it. It’s a museum and church, in a sense, with all this stuff. Mrs. Pruett really focused on protecting it, protecting these people’s stuff — their mark.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Barring caretakers, Derek McInnes had already made the worst start of any Rangers manager after three games - now it has stretched to four.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
This sophisticated network is what can get the goods you order to your doorstop in hours, and it provides flexibility for workers who have irregular schedules such as college students and home caretakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
They become caretakers and give up work early, losing years of potential income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
I knew at a glance he wasn’t like the other caretakers.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
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.
