caution

American  

[kaw-shuhn] / ˈkɔ ʃən /

noun

• cautions
  plural

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)

• cautions,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cautioned,
  past participle,  past
• cautioning
  present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   forewarn, admonish

verb (used without object)

• cautions,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cautioned,
  past participle,  past
• cautioning
  present participle

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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Synonym Usage

See warn.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cautions
  plural

Participles

• cautioning
  present
• cautioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• caution
  simple
• cautions
  simple
• have cautioned
  perfect
• has cautioned
  perfect
• am cautioning
  progressive
• are cautioning
  progressive
• is cautioning
  progressive
• have been cautioning
  perfect progressive
• has been cautioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• cautioned
  simple
• had cautioned
  perfect
• was cautioning
  progressive
• were cautioning
  progressive
• had been cautioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will caution
  simple
• will have cautioned
  perfect
• will be cautioning
  progressive
• will have been cautioning
  perfect progressive

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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; cf. caveat

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Explanation

If you act with caution, it means you are careful. Be sure to use caution when walking across a patch of ice. Otherwise, you might end up sprawling face-first on the ground. Ouch! The noun caution can be used to describe something that calls for careful action and the need to avoid risk, such as a volatile political situation that requires extreme caution. The word also has a verb form with a similar meaning. It’s a more formal way of saying “warn” and usually appears with against or that, as in, "Teachers caution against waiting until the last minute to study," or, "They caution that effective studying takes a long time."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caution cautions cautioned cautioning

Despite these potential benefits, researchers caution that large outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish remain a serious threat.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

People in the industry caution that the transition will take time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

However, the researchers caution that the results do not establish whether sauna bathing produces lasting improvements in immune function or reduces the risk of illness.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

But why they are being presented as bullish news for the stocks, instead of enormous grounds for caution, is anyone’s guess.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

When we reach the ground floor, I shoot Max a look of caution.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Sethi cautions that just because you can purchase a house doesn’t mean buying one is a good idea; far from it.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

“Skip the side project, and your sense of identity remains entirely dependent on one employer,” Ibarra cautions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

However, he cautions that individual circumstances can substantially influence the results.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

But former Indian ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, cautions against reading too much into him skipping the capital.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

“I will have the children read Hamlet as soon as it is practical. There are some useful cautions against eavesdropping to be gleaned from that. In the meantime, we shall deal with the squirrels.”

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

The researchers also cautioned that the study participants did not adequately represent the broader population of people living with insomnia.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

But she cautioned that, at this point, the consumer-staples sector appears “overvalued” following its recent surge.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026

Though this represented a jaw-dropping 1,300% growth, the firm cautioned that it does not expect its revenue to grow at comparable rates in the future.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

But it was conceivable, the Mirror cautioned, that someday “the machine is likely to come up with fresh, flexible ideas”—that is, to think on its own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

“The fleas jump from their heads to yours,” she cautioned.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

After its premiere at Sundance film festival earlier this year, The Guardian awarded it, external two stars, praising the "eye-catching premise" but cautioning that there was "too much wood but not enough fire".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Thursday, cautioning of the risk of heat related illnesses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Just after the opening night’s audience gets their emotional release, a tone fills the theater, with a voice cautioning of a “Level 4 warning.”

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

U.S. stocks end modestly lower after a worrying monthly survey of consumer confidence was offset by a Federal Reserve official cautioning against hasty rate hikes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Jones handed Booth the candle, cautioning him to hide its faint glow during the crossing, lest they be spotted by passing patrol boats.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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Related Words

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