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

Away from the cocktail and any alcohol bottle, flame the rosemary sprig by using either a lighter or a brûlée torch, taking care not to burn yourself. —Jeff Burkhart, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

That said, the 45% discount takes care of the high price. —Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024

There are conflicting reports of who Jamie was being taken care of the night her mother disappeared, and Jamie was too young at the time to remember. —Anna Turning, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024

Barcelona City Council also issued a flood warning on its website, urging people to take care and avoid areas where flooding may occur. —Atika Shubert, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2