caveat
Americannoun
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a warning or caution.
Before proceeding with the investment, he was given a caveat about potential risks and volatility in the stock market.
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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.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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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
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a warning; caution
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing caveat
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Foreign Words and Phrases Commonly Used in English, List 1
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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 one caveat though, Treyz says, is the war in Iran, with the U.S. potentially using tariffs against countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Canada if they don’t assist the U.S.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
That caveat matters: Humanoid robots are not about to replace China’s factory workforce overnight.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
“Sing for your supper and you’ll get breakfast, songbirds always eat,” the lyrics go, before offering a crucial caveat: “If their song is sweet to hear.”
From Salon • May 15, 2026
An airline or tour operator could only raise the price post-sale if they had a specific caveat written into the terms and conditions, says independent consumer commentator Jane Hawkes.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 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
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.
