Meaning & use
caretaking
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Meanings
noununcountable
The work or activity of looking after a building, property, or group of people, often as a job.
Grammar: Uncountable; used with 'the' or no article, e.g. 'Caretaking is a demanding job.'
Patterns
- caretaking of something
- caretaking duties
- do the caretaking
The caretaking of the old school building was left to a retired teacher.
She took on the caretaking of her elderly parents while working full-time.
The caretaking staff are responsible for cleaning and minor repairs.
noununcountable
The state of being responsible for someone or something, especially in a temporary or informal way.
Grammar: Often used with 'of' to show what is being taken care of.
Patterns
- caretaking of something
- under someone's caretaking
During the manager's absence, the caretaking of the project fell to me.
The community center operates under the caretaking of local volunteers.
Common combinations
- caretaking duties
- His caretaking duties include locking up the building at night.
- caretaking responsibilities
- She listed her caretaking responsibilities in the job interview.
- the caretaking of
- The caretaking of the garden requires daily attention.
- caretaking role
- He took on a caretaking role while the director was away.
Synonyms and how they differ
- care
- Care is a more general word for looking after someone or something; caretaking often suggests an official or ongoing duty.
- custody
- Custody is mainly legal or formal, especially for children or prisoners; caretaking is broader and less legal.
- supervision
- Supervision focuses on watching over people or work to ensure correctness; caretaking focuses on practical looking after.
Word family
- caretaker noun
- A person employed to look after a building or property.
- caretake verb
- To act as a caretaker; less common than the noun.
Commonly confused: caretaking or caregiving?
caretaking vs caregiving
Caregiving means looking after a person who is ill, elderly, or disabled, often unpaid. Caretaking is wider and can be about buildings or property.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'caretaking' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Caretaking' is an uncountable noun meaning the activity of looking after something. Option 0 uses it correctly with 'of'. Option 1 wrongly uses it as a verb (the verb is 'caretake', but it is rare). Option 2 uses it as a verb without auxiliary. Option 3 uses it as a plural noun, which is incorrect because it is uncountable.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “caretaking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.