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

All my friends want to babysit him, and everybody is always sending me pictures hanging with him. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2024

Other amenities include showers, a game room with a nanny to babysit kids, a business center, and a media room. —Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2024

Kristen introduces her new friend as Ellie (played by Veep’s Anna Chlumsky), whom Sheryl used to babysit back in the day. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 Aug. 2024

Young women from the Justice Department would babysit. —Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 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