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 latter explains her decision to remain in the country: not only to take care of her parents ,but to facilitate the filmic documentation of the events. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024

League-wide, favorites have taken care of business better in recent weeks after heavy 'dogs -- including the Raiders (who beat the Ravens as 8.5-point dogs in Week 2) and the Patriots (surprise winners as 7.5-point underdogs in Week 1), to name a few -- made a ton of noise back in September. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

The experienced planners take care of all the details, ensuring a stress-free experience for the couple. —Lopesan Costa Bavaro Contributor, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

And the flavor of that savory bowl and the aroma wafting through your kitchen will remind you that someone is taking care of you – even if that someone is you. —Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2