care for

English

Pronunciation

Audio (US): (file)

Verb

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

(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.
(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

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?

Related forms

uncared-for

Synonyms

(to like or appreciate): think much of
(to see to): besee

References

“care for”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

forearc