babysit
gb/bˈeɪbisɪt/ us/bˈeɪbisɪt/
A2
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
care for children temporarily
to look after children while their parents are out
Usage pattern:
babysit ([a child]/[the kids]); babysit for [someone]; babysit at [place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse babysit (temporary) with be a nanny (regular job).
Synonyms
look after (More general; can be for children, adults, or things.)
|
mind (Common in British English for taking care of children.)
Antonyms
neglect (Fail to take proper care of someone who needs it.)
Collocations
babysit the kids
|babysit for the neighbors
|babysit after school
|babysit on weekends
|babysit in the evening
|babysit overnight
|paid to babysit
|a babysitting job
|ask someone to babysit
|need a babysitter to babysit
Themes
family
|childcare
|daily_life
|work
Examples
- Can you babysit the kids on Friday night?
- She babysits for two families in her neighborhood.
- I used to babysit after school to earn extra money.
Learner examples
- I babysit my sister on Saturdays.
- He is babysitting tonight.
Verb
informal
B2
action
2
supervise an irresponsible person
to watch someone closely because they cannot manage alone
Usage pattern:
babysit [someone]
Common mistake:
This use can sound rude if said directly to the person you are supervising.
Synonyms
supervise (More neutral and formal; lacks the critical tone.)
|
hand-hold (Informal; emphasizes giving a lot of help step by step.)
Antonyms
trust (Allow someone to act independently without close watching.)
Collocations
babysit a grown adult
|babysit him all night
|babysit the new intern
|babysit a teammate
|babysit someone at a party
|have to babysit
|stop babysitting
|babysit someone through a task
Themes
relationships
|work
|social_life
Examples
- I can’t do my job if I have to babysit him all day.
- She ended up babysitting her friends to make sure they got home safely.
- The manager doesn’t want to babysit new hires forever.
Learner examples
- I had to babysit him during the trip.
Verb
informal
C1
action
3
monitor a process closely
to watch something carefully so it does not go wrong
Usage pattern:
babysit [a system/task/process]
Common mistake:
Often used when something should run by itself but doesn’t; it can imply inefficiency or annoyance.
Synonyms
monitor (More neutral; doesn’t imply constant attention or frustration.)
|
keep an eye on (More general; can be less intensive than babysit.)
Antonyms
automate (Set up so it runs without ongoing human attention.)
Collocations
babysit a server
|babysit a deployment
|babysit a process
|babysit a machine
|babysit the printer
|babysit the build
|babysit a production run
|babysit the system overnight
Themes
technology
|work
|business
Examples
- Someone has to babysit the server while the update installs.
- I don’t want to babysit this process all weekend.
- They stayed late to babysit the machines during the first run.
Learner examples
- I need to babysit the system tonight.
Noun
informal
B2
event
4
a period of babysitting
a time when you babysit
Usage pattern:
a babysit; have a babysit
Common mistake:
More common is babysitting (noun). This noun use can sound regional or informal.
Synonyms
babysitting (More standard and widely used as a noun.)
|
shift (General word for a work period; not specific to childcare.)
Antonyms
time off (A period when you are not working or responsible for childcare.)
Collocations
a babysit tonight
|a regular babysit
|a last-minute babysit
|cancel a babysit
Themes
childcare
|daily_life
|work
Examples
- I’ve got a babysit this evening, so I can’t come out.
- She canceled her babysit at the last minute.
- He picked up an extra babysit to earn some cash.
Learner examples
- I have a babysit tonight.
Grammar
Dictionary form
babysit
IPA
GB/bˈeɪbisɪt/
US/bˈeɪbisɪt/
Syllables & stress
babysit (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (babysit)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: babysit
- 3rd Person Singular: baby-sits, babysits
- Present Participle: baby-sitting, babysitting
- Past: baby-sat, babysat
- Past Participle: baby-sat, babysat
Word family
Forms
baby-sits
verb
babysits
verb
baby-sitting
verb
babysitting
verb
baby-sat
verb
babysat
verb
Core family
babysitter
noun A2
Expressions
babysit for [someone]
1/bˈeɪbisɪt fɚ sˈʌmwˌʌn/
phrasal verb
babysit someone’s children
to look after someone’s children for them
Examples
- I’m babysitting for my sister while she goes to dinner.
- He babysits for a couple across the street on weekends.
- Could you babysit for us on Saturday night?