baby-sitter
/'beibi,sitə/
Definition
Noun: A person who is paid to temporarily care for a child or children in the child's own home, typically when the parents are absent.
Usage
The term "baby-sitter" refers to the person performing the job of temporary childcare. It is a compound noun. The role involves supervising children, ensuring their safety, and sometimes putting them to bed or preparing simple meals.
Examples
- We need to find a reliable baby-sitter for Friday night.
- The baby-sitter read the children a story before bedtime.
- She worked as a baby-sitter during her summer vacation.
Advanced Usage
- To sit for someone / To sit with someone: These are less common phrasal verb forms meaning to baby-sit for a specific family.
- She often sits for the Millers on weekends.
- The term can be used attributively (like an adjective) before another noun.
- What is your standard baby-sitter rate per hour?
Variants and Related Words
- Sitter (n.): An informal, shortened form of "baby-sitter."
- We hired a sitter for the evening.
- Childminder (n.): (Chiefly British) A person who looks after children in their own home, often as a more regular, professional arrangement.
- Nanny (n.): A person, often live-in, employed to provide full-time childcare in a family's home.
- Au pair (n.): A young foreign person who helps with childcare and housework in exchange for room, board, and a stipend.
Synonyms
- Childcare provider
- Caregiver (in this specific context)
Phrasal Verbs
- To baby-sit (v.): The verb form of the noun.
- My sister baby-sits for our neighbors.
- To sit (v.): An informal shortening of the verb "to baby-sit."
- Can you sit for us next Tuesday?
Related Idioms
- (As) easy as taking candy from a baby: While not directly containing the word, this idiom about something being very easy is sometimes humorously referenced in the context of baby-sitting, though it is not specific to the role.
Noun
-
a person engaged to care for children when the parents are not home
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