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Definition 2024


care_for

care for

English

Verb

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.
    I cared for my ailing mother for five years.
  2. (transitive) To like or appreciate; to consider to be appealing, tasteful, or suitable.
    • 1719, Jonathan Swift, "To Dr. Sheridan" (14 Dec.), in The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Vol. 2 (ed. W. E. Browning):
      Mrs. Dingley and Mrs. Johnson say, truly they don't care for your wife's company, though they like your wine.
    • 1919, Virginia Woolf, Night and Day, ch. 5:
      "Do you really care for this kind of thing?" he asked at length.
    • 2006, Unmesh Kher, "Whale On the Plate," Time, 17 April:
      Still, while most Japanese may not care for the meat, many object to calls to stop whaling.

Synonyms

Usage notes

  • In the sense of like or appreciate, often used in negative constructions, as in: I do not care for chocolate.

References

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