/ keə(r); NAmE ker/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U ] the process of caring for sb/sth and providing what they need for their health or protection :
medical / patient care
How much do men share housework and the care of the children?
the provision of care for the elderly
skin / hair care products
—see also community care , day care , easy-care , health care , intensive care
2.
[ U ] attention or thought that you give to sth that you are doing so that you will do it well and avoid mistakes or damage :
She chose her words with care .
Great care is needed when choosing a used car.
Fragile—handle with care (= written on a container holding sth which is easily broken or damaged)
3.
[ C , usually pl. , U ] ( formal ) a feeling of worry or anxiety; something that causes problems or anxiety :
I felt free from the cares of the day as soon as I left the building.
Sam looked as if he didn't have a care in the world .
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IDIOMS
- care of sb
- in care
- in the care of sb / in sb's care
- take care
- take care (that ... / to do sth)
- take care of sb/sth / yourself
- under the care of sb
■ verb (not used in the progressive tenses)
1.
care (about sth) to feel that sth is important and worth worrying about :
[ v ]
She cares deeply about environmental issues.
I don't care (= I will not be upset) if I never see him again!
He threatened to fire me, as if I cared !
[ v wh- ]
I don't care what he thinks.
[ v that ]
She doesn't seem to care that he's been married four times before.
2.
[ v ] care (about sb) to like or love sb and worry about what happens to them :
He genuinely cares about his employees.
3.
[ v to inf ] to make the effort to do sth :
I've done this job more times than I care to remember.
•
IDIOMS
- couldn't care less
- for all you, I, they, etc. care
- who cares? | What do I, you, etc. care?
- would you care for ... | would you care to ...
—more at damn noun , fig noun , hoot noun , tuppence
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- care for sb
- not care for sb/sth
••
SYNONYMS
care
caution ♦ prudence ♦ discretion ♦ wariness
These are all words for attention or thought that you give to sth in order to avoid mistakes or accidents.
care
attention or thought that you give to sth that you are doing so that you will do it well and avoid mistakes or damage:
She chose her words with care.
caution
care that you take in order to avoid danger or mistakes; not taking any risks:
The utmost caution must be exercised when handling explosives.
prudence
( rather formal ) being sensible and careful when you make judgements and decisions; avoiding unnecessary risks:
As a matter of prudence, keep a record of all your financial transactions.
NOTE
Prudence is used particularly in financial contexts.
discretion
( rather formal ) care in what you say or do, in order to keep sth secret or to avoid causing embarrassment or difficulty for sb; the quality of being discreet:
This is confidential, but I know that I can rely on your discretion.
wariness
[sing.] ( formal ) care when dealing with sb/sth because you think there may be a danger or problem:
Her wariness of him turned to deepest mistrust.
caution or wariness?
You use caution when dealing with things or situations that involve physical or financial risk. Wariness is more often a reaction to people that you think might be dangerous or not to be trusted.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to do sth with care / caution / prudence / discretion / wariness
great / extreme care / caution / prudence / discretion / wariness
to need / require / call for / urge / advise / exercise / use care / caution / prudence / discretion
to proceed with care / caution
••
WHICH WORD
take care of / look after / care for
You can take care of or, especially in BrE , look after someone who is very young, very old, or sick, or something that needs keeping in good condition:
We've asked my mother to take care of / look after the kids while we're away.
•
You can borrow my camera if you promise to take care of / look after it.
In more formal language you can also care for someone:
She does some voluntary work, caring for the elderly
, but care for is more commonly used to mean 'like':
I don't really care for spicy food.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English caru (noun), carian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Old High German chara grief, lament, charon grieve, and Old Norse ko̧r sickbed.