day care

American  

[day kair] / ˈdeɪ ˌkɛər /

noun

• day cares
  plural

1. supervised daytime care for preschool children, the elderly, or those with chronic disabilities, usually provided at a center outside the home.

   Finding quality day care that we can afford has been challenging.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or providing day care.

   daycare center;

   day-care program.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• day cares
  plural

Etymology

Origin of day care

First recorded in 1895–1900 for noun, and 1940–45 for adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

day care

And Wang estimates she could understand only a third of what her teacher said in the first day care she attended.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Under the planned tax credit in Connecticut, caregivers can receive up to $2,000 a year for expenditures for home modifications, necessary medical equipment and services like home health aides, adult day care and respite care.

From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026

All three candidates spoke in favor of Municipal Code section 41.18, which bars homeless encampments from going up within 500 feet of schools and day care centers.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Placing an infant in an early childhood or day care center can cost parents annually an average of $15,000.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2026

After school I attended day care at L’il Ranchers.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Related Words

• child care
• daycare
• nursery
• nursery school
• preschool