babysit

verb

ba·​by·​sit ˈbā-bē-ˌsit 

babysat ˈbā-bē-ˌsat  ; 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

The woman had been trusted to babysit the infant for short periods of time before, but never alone, Harris said. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 21 June 2024

But just be prepared to pick your jaw up off the floor, and never trust Deborah to babysit! —Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 10 May 2024

But of course, that doesn't exactly go as planned when their parents take a trip to Hawaii and leave Tan and Winter to babysit Tan's sister Sana. —Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 28 May 2024

Police discovered the kids and their 5-year-old sibling had been living with squatters — a man and a woman — their mother paid to babysit them for multiple days, court records show. —Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from babysitter

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

babysit

verb

ba·​by·​sit ˈbā-bē-ˌsit 

babysat -ˌsat  ; babysitting

: to care for children usually while the parents are away for a short time

babysitter noun