carer

British  

/ ˈkɛərə /

noun

1. Usual US and Canadian term: caregiver.  social welfare a person who has accepted responsibility for looking after a vulnerable neighbour or relative See also caretaker

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Explanation

A carer is someone who tends to a patient or looks after a young child or elderly person. If your grandfather is very ill, he may need the help of a carer at home. A carer, also called a caregiver, is sometimes a paid helper whose job is caring for people, like a home health aide or a babysitter. Often family members act as carers, tending to elderly or ailing relatives. If your uncle helps your grandfather get into his wheelchair and take his medicine each day, he's a carer. This word is from care and its Old English root, which means both "feel concern" and "grieve."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

carer

A little while later, a nurse who worked as a carer for her upstairs neighbours started calling out to see if anyone could hear her.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

After a relationship breakdown Brad and Skyla moved in with his mother and became a full-time carer for both.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

“I am in despair,” said Shekhova, the dog carer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

More than 600 responded to a BBC Radio 5 Live questionnaire, distributed by carer support network Mobilise, with more than a third saying that someone in their household had given up work to care.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

Chrissie leaned over the table towards me and said quietly, like she was explaining to a child: “He’s being a carer. What else do you think he’d be doing here? He’s a proper carer now.”

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro