caution
Americannoun
-
alertness and prudence in a hazardous situation; care; wariness.
Landslides ahead—proceed with caution.
- Synonyms:
- vigilance, heed, watchfulness, discretion, circumspection
- Antonyms:
- carelessness
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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
-
Informal. a person or thing that astonishes or causes mild apprehension.
She's a caution. The way he challenges your remarks is a caution.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
care, forethought, or prudence, esp in the face of danger; wariness
-
something intended or serving as a warning; admonition
-
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
-
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
-
informal an amusing or surprising person or thing
she's a real caution
verb
-
(tr) to urge or warn (a person) to be careful
-
(tr) law to give a caution to (a person)
-
(intr) to warn, urge, or advise
he cautioned against optimism
Synonym Usage
See warn.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cautionsimple
-
cautionssimple
-
have cautionedperfect
-
has cautionedperfect
-
are cautioningprogressive
-
am cautioningprogressive
-
is cautioningprogressive
-
have been cautioningperfect progressive
-
has been cautioningperfect progressive
Past
-
cautionedsimple
-
had cautionedperfect
-
was cautioningprogressive
-
were cautioningprogressive
-
had been cautioningperfect progressive
Future
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing caution
"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 5
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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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.
“The 2026 projections warrant particular caution, as staff did not incorporate the Ireland-driven downward revision,” economists at Barclays wrote in a note to clients after the ECB announcement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
This includes a charge or summons, a caution, the offender dying, a penalty notice or cannabis warning being issued, a community resolution or where the offence is taken into account with other crimes.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
Some council members stressed caution over the proposed change.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Oil industry watchers caution that market conditions will likely be tight for a period of weeks or months.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
“Must you be like this, even now?” she asks, clearly deciding to throw caution to the wind.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
