Meaning & use
a caretaker
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A person whose job is to take care of a building, such as a school, apartment block, or office, and do small repairs and cleaning.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a caretaker, the caretaker, or caretakers.
Patterns
- a caretaker at a school
- work as a caretaker
The caretaker at our school opens the gates every morning.
We called the caretaker to fix the broken light in the hallway.
The caretaker lives in a small flat near the main entrance.
nouncountable
Someone who takes care of another person, especially a child, an old person, or a sick person, often without being paid.
Grammar: Countable: often used with 'the' or a possessive, e.g. the caretaker of the children.
Patterns
- the caretaker of someone
- act as a caretaker for someone
After his parents died, his aunt became his main caretaker.
She is the caretaker for her elderly mother.
The children's caretaker makes sure they eat a healthy dinner.
nouncountable
A person or government that holds power only for a short time until a new one is chosen.
Grammar: Countable: usually used before another noun, e.g. a caretaker government.
Patterns
- a caretaker government
- a caretaker manager
A caretaker government will run the country until the election in June.
The club appointed a caretaker manager after the coach was fired.
The caretaker administration has limited powers.
Word forms
| plural | caretakers |
|---|
Common combinations
- school caretaker
- The school caretaker repairs desks and cleans the classrooms.
- caretaker government
- The caretaker government will stay in office for three months.
- caretaker manager
- The caretaker manager won his first two games.
- act as a caretaker
- My brother acts as a caretaker for our grandmother on weekends.
- the caretaker of a building
- He is the caretaker of a large apartment building.
Synonyms and how they differ
- janitor
- This is the usual American word for someone who cleans and takes care of a building; 'caretaker' is more common in British English.
- custodian
- More formal and often used for someone who takes care of a public building or a valuable collection.
- guardian
- Used mostly for someone who has legal responsibility for a child or a person who cannot care for themselves; it is more official than 'caretaker'.
Word family
- care verb
- To feel that something is important or to look after someone.
- caretaking noun
- The work of a caretaker, especially looking after a building.
Commonly confused: a caretaker or caregiver? a caretaker or caretaker?
a caretaker vs caregiver
A caregiver is someone who looks after a person who is old or sick, often a family member; a caretaker can also do this, but in British English it more often means someone who looks after a building.
a caretaker vs caretaker
Do not confuse with 'caretaker' as a political term, which means a temporary government or manager, not a building worker.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'caretaker' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A caretaker takes care of a building and does small repairs, so fixing a window fits. Teaching, driving a bus, and cooking are other jobs, not the usual work of a caretaker.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a caretaker”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.