Meaning & use
a caveat
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
a warning or condition that limits a statement or agreement
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase. Often followed by 'that' or 'to': a caveat to the rule.
Patterns
- a caveat to something
- with the caveat that ...
- add a caveat
She agreed to the plan with one caveat: the budget must not exceed $10,000.
The doctor gave his approval with the caveat that the patient should rest for a week.
There is a caveat to this offer: it is only valid for new customers.
phrasecountablelegallaw
a legal notice asking a court to delay a process until a certain condition is met
Grammar: In legal contexts, it is a countable noun. Often used in the phrase 'file a caveat'.
Patterns
- file a caveat
- enter a caveat
- a caveat against something
The lawyer filed a caveat to prevent the will from being probated immediately.
A caveat was entered against the property to protect the buyer's interest.
The court granted a caveat until the dispute could be resolved.
Word forms
| plural | caveats |
|---|
Common combinations
- with the caveat that
- He accepted the job with the caveat that he could work from home.
- a caveat to
- There is a caveat to this general rule.
- add a caveat
- Let me add a caveat before we proceed.
- important caveat
- The report includes an important caveat about the data's reliability.
- file a caveat
- They filed a caveat to stop the sale of the land.
Synonyms and how they differ
- warning
- A warning is a general statement about possible danger; a caveat is more specific, often a condition or limitation in a formal context.
- qualification
- A qualification is a statement that limits or modifies something; it is close to caveat but often used in academic or formal writing.
- condition
- A condition is something that must happen before something else; a caveat is a warning or limitation, not necessarily a requirement.
Word family
- caveat noun
- The base noun, meaning a warning or limitation.
Commonly confused: a caveat or caveat emptor?
a caveat vs caveat emptor
This is a Latin phrase meaning 'let the buyer beware'. It is a specific legal principle, not just any caveat.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The correct pattern is 'with a caveat that...' to introduce a condition. The other options omit 'that' or use the wrong preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a caveat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.