caution

American  

[kaw-shuhn] / ˈkɔ ʃən /

noun

1. alertness and prudence in a hazardous situation; care; wariness.

   Landslides ahead—proceed with caution.

   Synonyms:

   vigilance, heed, watchfulness, discretion, circumspection

   Antonyms:

   carelessness

2. a warning against danger or evil; anything serving as a warning.

   By way of caution, he told me the difficulties I would face.

   Synonyms:

   counsel, advice, admonition

3. Informal. a person or thing that astonishes or causes mild apprehension.

   She's a caution. The way he challenges your remarks is a caution.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give warning to; advise or urge to take heed.

   Synonyms:

   forewarn, admonish

verb (used without object)

1. to warn or advise.

   The newspapers caution against overoptimism.

caution British  

/ ˈkɔːʃən /

noun

1. care, forethought, or prudence, esp in the face of danger; wariness

2. something intended or serving as a warning; admonition

3. law a formal warning given to a person suspected or accused of an offence that his words will be taken down and may be used in evidence

4. a notice entered on the register of title to land that prevents a proprietor from disposing of his or her land without a notice to the person who entered the caution

5. informal an amusing or surprising person or thing

   she's a real caution

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verb

1. (tr) to urge or warn (a person) to be careful

2. (tr) law to give a caution to (a person)

3. (intr) to warn, urge, or advise

   he cautioned against optimism

caution Idioms  

1. see throw caution to the winds.

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Related Words

See warn.

Other Word Forms

• cautioner noun
• overcaution noun
• recaution verb (used with object)
• supercaution noun
• uncautioned adjective
• well-cautioned adjective

Etymology

Origin of caution

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English caucion, from Latin cautiōn-, stem of cautiō “a taking care,” from caut(us) “taken care” (past participle of cavēre “to take care”) + -iō -ion; caveat

Example Sentences

"Fleeing the scene in a crisis is a red flag," cautioned Chakravarthy.

From BBC

Kinross cautions that research on how the microbiome works in different population groups is in its infancy.

From BBC

The embassy cautioned that “There are reports of groups of armed militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States.”

From Los Angeles Times

“With strong stock performance in 2025, bank stocks could be choppy into 4Q earnings if outlooks are moderate, even if these are out of caution,” the analysts wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal

It cautioned that it was "important to remember autistic people can be very different from each other".

From BBC

Related Words

• attention
• care
• discretion
• foresight
• prudence
• vigilance