Dictionary

babysit en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈbeɪ.bi.sɪt/

Etymology

Back-formation from babysitter.

Meanings

1. (ambitransitive) To watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money.
   • My daughter is babysitting for the Morgans at number ten, who are going out on a date night.
   • We need someone to babysit our children while we go to the theater.
   • Bart eventually gets Laura to babysit while Homer and Marge eat at the Sea Captain’s all-you-can-eat seafood joint, The Frying Dutchman. 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
2. (informal, transitive) To watch or tend a thing or process without normally intervening in it, e.g. as a precaution should an emergency happen.
   • The reaction takes several hours, so we leave a graduate student to babysit it.
3. (informal, transitive) To watch or attend anything or anyone more closely than ought to be needed; to have to help or coax too much.
   • It was observed by the FBI personnel assigned to “babysit” agent Tricycle that his egregiously excessive spending was causing unwanted attention […] 2016, Christopher Vasey, Nazi Intelligence Operations in Non-Occupied Territories, page 175:
   • He left me to babysit the new guy while he got some work done.

Forms

Deriveds

birdysit

Relateds

housesit · catsit · babysitter · dogsit

Synonyms

childsit · coddle

Translations (39)

he שמרטף (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · vi trông em (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · ru ня́ньчиться (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · ja 子守する (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · nl babysitten (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · ar يجالس (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · cmn 代人照看孩子 (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · pl opiekować się (to watch or attend anything or anyone unnecessarily closely) · fr garder (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · cmn 照看嬰兒 /照看婴儿 (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · fi olla lapsenlikkana (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · da babysitte (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · cs hlídat děti (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · hu bébiszittel (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · ru ня́ньчиться (to watch or attend anything or anyone unnecessarily closely) · chr ᎠᏓᎦᏘᏰᎭ (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · ru сиде́ть с ребёнком / с детьми (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · pt pajear (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · it prendere per mano (to watch or attend anything or anyone unnecessarily closely) · nl nauwgelet begeleiden (to watch or attend anything or anyone unnecessarily closely) · fr faire du baby-sitting (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · ko 애들을 봐주다 (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · nrf garder (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · fi olla lapsenvahtina (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · hu bébiszitterkedik (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · nb sitte barnevakt (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · es cuidar niños (los) (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · vi trông trẻ (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · sv sitta barnvakt (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · es hacer de canguro/niñero (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · it fare da babysitter (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · pl opiekować się dzieckiem (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · eo varti (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · nl kinderen passen (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · nb passe barn (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · hu gyerekre vigyáz (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · de babysitten (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · da passe børn (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money) · ko 아이를 봐주다 (to watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money)