care for

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English

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Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

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care for (third-person singular simple present cares for, present participle caring for, simple past and past participle cared for)

  1. (transitive) To attend to the needs of, especially in the manner of a nurse or personal aide.
    Synonym: look after
    I cared for my ailing mother for five years.
    • 1950 January, “Notes and News: George Bradshaw's Grave”, in Railway Magazine, page 62:
      The grave is still cared for by the local authorities, and the monument is in an excellent state of preservation.
  2. (transitive) To like or appreciate; to consider to be appealing, tasteful, or suitable.
    • 1719 December 14, “To Dr. Sheridan”, in W. E. Browning, editor, The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Vol. 2, Jonathan Swift:
      Mrs. Dingley and Mrs. Johnson say, truly they don't care for your wife's company, though they like your wine.
    • 1919, Virginia Woolf, chapter 5, in Night and Day:
      "Do you really care for this kind of thing?" he asked at length.
    • 2006 April 17, Unmesh Kher, “Whale On the Plate”, in Time:
      Still, while most Japanese may not care for the meat, many object to calls to stop whaling.

Usage notes

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  • In the sense of like or appreciate, often used in negative constructions, as in: I do not care for chocolate or questions like Would you care for a cucumber sandwich?
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Synonyms

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References

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  • care for”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

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