babysit

verb

ba·​by·​sit ˈbā-bē-ˌsit How to pronounce babysit (audio)
babysat ˈbā-bē-ˌsat How to pronounce babysit (audio) ; babysitting

intransitive verb

: to care for children usually during a short absence of the parents
broadly : to give care
babysit for a neighbor's pets

transitive verb

: to babysit for
She babysits her grandchildren.
broadly : mind, tend
babysit house plants
police babysitting a witness
babysitter noun

Examples of babysit in a Sentence

She babysits their kids on Saturday nights.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
This one especially hurts as Eddie is a family friend who used to babysit Mickey's daughter Hayley. Pamela Avila, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024 Still, even pros like Ford can be caught off guard occasionally, as with the dog he was asked to babysit for several weeks when its owner went away to her home in South America. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2024 As a student at the elite private school Saint Ann’s, his classmates included Lola Schnabel, the daughter of painter Julian Schnabel, and writer, director and actress Lena Dunham, whom Posen used to babysit. Cathleen Chen, CNN, 2 Oct. 2024 The incident took place in Taylor, Mich. on Saturday, Sept. 28 after the older sister was reportedly left to babysit the 7-year-old A 13-year-old girl in Taylor, Michigan is reportedly facing murder charges after allegedly stabbing her 7-year-old sister to death while babysitting. Becca Longmire, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for babysit 

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from babysitter

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of babysit was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near babysit

Cite this Entry

“Babysit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/babysit. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

babysit

verb
ba·​by·​sit ˈbā-bē-ˌsit How to pronounce babysit (audio)
babysat -ˌsat How to pronounce babysit (audio) ; babysitting
: to care for children usually while the parents are away for a short time
babysitter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on babysit

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!