caveat

American  

[kav-ee-aht, -at, kah-vee-, key-] / ˈkæv iˌɑt, -ˌæt, ˈkɑ vi-, keɪ- /

noun

• caveats
  plural

1. a warning or caution.

   Before proceeding with the investment, he was given a caveat about potential risks and volatility in the stock market.

2. Law. a legal notice to a court or public officer to suspend a certain proceeding until the notifier is given a hearing.

   a caveat filed against the probate of a will.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to give a warning or caution (about information being presented).

   The authors of the paper caveated their findings with a reminder that further research would be necessary.

   Rather than hedging and caveating, I'll just say what I think.

caveat British  

/ ˈkeɪvɪˌæt, ˈkæv- /

noun

1. law a formal notice requesting the court or officer to refrain from taking some specified action without giving prior notice to the person lodging the caveat

2. a warning; caution

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• caveated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• caveats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of caveat

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin: “let him beware,” 3rd-person singular present subjunctive of cavēre “to take care”; see caution

Explanation

A caveat is a warning. When someone adds a caveat to something they’re telling you to beware — maybe what they’re telling you comes with certain conditions or maybe there’s something dangerous lurking. When your new friend gives you directions to her house, and then says, “The caveat is that when it snows the driveway turns into an ice rink,” she's warning you that your travels could be dangerous. Caveat is also a legal term for when a lawyer asks for a break in proceedings. If a lawyer issues a caveat, she's filing a formal notice to suspend a trial until her client gets a hearing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caveat caveats

Like the other batters, his mark comes with the caveat of Pakistan's bowling attack being poor but, after all that has come before, Brook batted as many have asked him to.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

SpaceX’s stock performance is arguably most linked to peers in the space and satellite world, according to DataTrek — though there’s a big caveat.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

The Department of Finance included properties on that list that might be subject to the tax with the caveat that “the vast majority” wouldn’t be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Hegseth insists his testosterone push is “not about artificial enhancement,” but the disclaimer is an empty caveat.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

Our other caveat concerns the limits that locally available wild species set on the rise of food production.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

With some caveats, rising interest rates and inflation often create a better environment for value stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

However, Davies said there were "caveats" - which meant in some cases even without logos the correct item of clothing was difficult to find outside of the school itself.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Comparing his two visits to Yosemite, Shields said he preferred not having to deal with the reservation system, but that came with some caveats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Ask a model whether a specific over-the-counter medication is safe to take during pregnancy, and you can learn whether it offers the caveats a doctor would insist on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Those caveats, which stem from the properties of zero and infinity, can become very important, however.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• admonition