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Glite Dictionary
🧑‍🍼 To look after ⚠️ To be careful
to take care

to take care

∞ 1.3
To look after a person or thing and deal with their needs
  • phrasal verb
  • /teɪk kɛr/
translation icon : cuidar de
  • Often, a girl of 12, 13, or 14 is left to take care of the younger children.
  • take care of children
  • take care of family
  • take care of babies

But that should take care of the social expenses.

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Examples

  • You boys take care of the office for a couple days.

    Stagecoach (1939)

  • But I guess what I would say is take care of yourself first.

  • My mission is to take care of people.

    Jack Be Nimble (2022)

  • I can take care of myself.

    Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies (2012)

  • A female participant's uncle helped take care of her family after the loss of her father.

    Academic text (2008)

  • "What they need," she says, "is good, dignified work so we can take care of our families."

    Academic text (2011)

  • As one inhabitant put it, "When you take care of the animal, you take care of yourself."

    Academic text (1999)

  • In the Native view, Creation, filled with the Spirit of the Creator, takes care of us.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Please make sure to take care of your own health before helping others.

  • The manager asked the team to take care of the client’s needs during the meeting.

Synonyms

to take care of
vsto take care
∞ 1.3

To look after someone or deal with a problem

is the concise general expression for responsibility and arranging needs
to handle
vsto take care
∞ 2.1

Deal with a task, person, or situation

leans more toward providing for needs and arranging care rather than only managing
to care
vsto take care
∞ 1.0

To look after someone or something so they stay safe and well

emphasizes general responsibility and making arrangements rather than only provision
to look after
vsto take care
472 1.1

Take care of someone or something to keep them safe and working

stresses active responsibility and arranging needs rather than just observation
to care for
vsto take care
347 1.0

Look after a sick or injured person and give them needed help

covers general responsibility and care beyond medical treatment
to manage
vsto take care
239 2.3

To hold and use things carefully so they do not break or fall

centres on taking responsibility and making arrangements rather than only control
to mind
vsto take care
199 1.8

To take care of someone or something

is broader, covering responsibility and planning beyond immediate attention
to attend
vsto take care
169 2.7

To take care of something that needs action

stresses ongoing responsibility and arranging needs rather than single actions
to see about
vsto take care
  • Informal
91 3.0

To arrange and take care of something

focuses more on ongoing responsibility and providing for needs generally
to take care of (someone)
vsto take care
4 1.2

Look after and help someone so they are safe and healthy

includes both caring for people and handling tasks or arrangements

Antonyms

to neglect
256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Responsible

to manage
643 2.7
to supervise
189 3.5
to take care
∞ 1.3
to look after
472 1.1
to watch
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

take care infinitive
taking care present participle
takes care third person singular
took care past
taken care past participle

Morphology

take + care

The meaning 'to be cautious or attentive' is directly derivable from combining 'take' (assume or adopt) with 'care' (caution, attention), so the phrase literally means to adopt caution. This verb+noun composition is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase take care comes from the simple image of someone handing you a child or a task so you take the other person's care into your hands. So you accept responsibility and look after it, which is why it means 'to be responsible for' or 'handle' something.