take care

idiomatic phrase

1

: to be careful or watchful : to exercise caution or prudence

Because fish is more delicate than beef, take care when pounding it thin.

—Sam Gugino

Patients also should take care in storing their drugs because heat exposure could affect their efficacy, [Aaron] Bernstein says.

—Marlene Cimons

—often used informally to express good wishes when parting, at the end of a message, etc.

I'll see you next week. Take care!

2

: to give particular attention to doing or not doing something

When he had finished writing, Cluny pushed the parchment under his pillow, taking care to leave just a small corner of it jutting out.

—Brian Jacques

In this land of ritual, Westerners should take care to inform themselves of protocol.

—Jeff Morgan

Open oysters carefully just before they are required, taking care not to spill the liquor in their deep shells.

—Elizabeth Craig

see also take care of

Examples of take care in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So live in the moment, enjoy the ride, and let the future take care of itself. —Brian Sampson, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

Each bite took care of me, just as Assane and his family had. —Melissa Alcena, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2024

Completely understand wanting to take care of other people and food being a cornerstone of that emotion. —Bon Appétit, 25 Sep. 2024

Goats, which were originally brought over by Spaniards, had become an invasive species, and eating them was an easy way to take care of the problem, according to Steven Alvarez, a St. John’s University professor who teaches a class on taco literacy. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2