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

The 6-foot-7 Freddy Hassan and Jeffrey, his 6-9 sophomore brother, took care of business Friday night by leading a defensive effort that was key for the Knights in a 49-37 victory in the Class 3A Rochelle Sectional championship game. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025

Remember, with all the focus on your kid’s sleep, don’t forget to take care of yourself, too. —Katia Hetter, CNN, 8 Mar. 2025

There is someone out there who wants to take care of you, who will take care of you. —Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 7 Mar. 2025

The letter also asked Carlos Pino to take care of their father, Carlos said during his deposition. —Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for take care

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware