care for

phrasal verb

cared for; caring for; cares for

: to do the things that are needed to help and protect (a person or animal) : look after (someone or something)

She cares for elderly patients.

Who is caring for your son while you are at work?

: to feel affection for (someone)

I got the feeling he never really cared for me.

somewhat formal : to like or enjoy (something)

—often used in negative statements

I don't care for jelly beans.

I don't care for your tone of voice.

somewhat formal : to want (something)

Would you care for some pie?

Examples of care for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Employees need to feel valued and cared for in order to effectively function in their roles. —

Kent Ingle, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024 Over the years Jen has dedicated her time and talent to PUSD — leading events that secured precious funding for critical programs or caring for students who needed a little extra encouragement on their way into school. —

Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024 With a strong sense of self awareness, Billy encourages kids to express their feelings and care for themselves. —

Jennifer Maas, Variety, 4 Sep. 2024 Man Dedicates His 'Whole Life' to Saving Thailand's Street Dogs After Facing Near-Death Experience (Exclusive) As a long-stay rescue dog under Lucky Dog's care for over three months, Noel also had Lucky Dog's long-stay task force helping her. —

Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for care for

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'care for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.