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Glite Dictionary
baby minder

baby minder

3.3
A person who looks after babies in their home while their parents work
  • noun
  • /ˈbeɪbi ˈmaɪndər/
  • UK
translation icon : canguro
  • We hired a baby minder to look after our son while we were at work.

Examples

  • A reliable baby minder is hard to find in the city.

  • The baby minder arrived every morning at eight o'clock.

  • We hired a baby minder for the summer.

  • The baby minder arrived promptly at 8 AM.

  • We hired a baby minder to look after our son while we were at work.

  • The baby minder arrived every morning at eight o'clock.

  • A reliable baby minder is hard to find in the city.

Synonyms

nanny
vsbaby minder
603 1.0

A woman who looks after children in a family's home

is carried out in an external carer's home while parents are at work
babysitter
vsbaby minder
234 1.0

A person who looks after children while their parents are away

usually refers to ongoing care in the carer's home during work hours
caregiver
vsbaby minder
  • US
79 3.2

A person who helps someone who is ill, elderly, or has a disability with daily tasks

is specific to caring for very young children in the carer's own home
sitter
vsbaby minder
70 1.6

A person who looks after children at home while their parents are out

usually happens in the carer's home while parents work not the child's home
nursemaid
vsbaby minder
  • Archaic
12 5.3

A woman who cares for young children in a private home

is usually provided in an external carer's home while parents are at work
baby-sitter
vsbaby minder
9 1.2

A person parents pay to look after children when they are away

usually happens in the carer's home while parents are at work
minder
vsbaby minder
  • UK
2 4.0

A person who looks after young children in their own home while the parents work

focuses specifically on the youngest children rather than older children
nannie
vsbaby minder
  • UK
1 1.1

A woman who is paid to care for children in a home

is the same idea but with the alternative spelling or form
childminder
vsbaby minder
  • UK
1 2.8

A person who looks after children in their own home while parents are at work

refers specifically to caring for the very young rather than children generally
babyminder
vsbaby minder
  • UK
7.1

A person who looks after babies in their own home while parents work

is written as two separate words for the same childcare role

Antonyms

absentee
59 4.1

A person who is not present where they should be

neglecter
7.3

A person who gives little care to someone they should look after

Surface Forms

baby minder singular
baby minders plural

Morphology

baby + minder

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'baby' (a very young child) + 'minder' (a person who looks after someone): together they denote someone who looks after babies. This is a productive, compositional pattern (cf. 'childminder') and is readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Baby minder comes from the verb mind, which means 'to look after', so a minder is simply someone who minds or watches a child. That's why a baby minder today is a person who looks after babies, often in their own home while the parents are at work.