day care

American  

[dey 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

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

Many provided little more than glorified day care.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

The $35 average hourly rate for a home health aide was only up 3%, assisted living was up 5% and adult day care was actually down 5%.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026

“If that means that I have to sacrifice in other areas, I try to. Even sometimes my day care payments are late.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2026

She moved in with her mother in Queens but found it impossible to get to her job in New Jersey from there, in addition to taking her youngest child to day care every morning.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

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