minder

Thân thiện

A minder watches two toddlers playing with blocks in the living room.

Definition

Noun: 1. A person employed to look after and protect someone, especially a child or a person considered to be at risk or in need of supervision. 2. A person, especially in an authoritarian state, assigned to accompany and monitor a foreign visitor, journalist, or other outsider, officially to assist but also to control their access and movements.

Usage

The word "minder" describes a role focused on supervision, protection, and often control. It implies a close, watchful presence. * As a childcare provider, it is a synonym for a nanny or babysitter, but can imply a more formal or protective role. * As a state-assigned escort, it carries connotations of surveillance and restriction of freedom under the guise of assistance.

Examples

• Noun (Childcare):
  • The working parents hired a reliable minder for their toddler.
  • The child's minder took them to the park every afternoon.
• Noun (State Escort):
  • The journalist was never left alone; a government minder accompanied him everywhere.
  • Our official minder arranged all our meetings and translated our conversations.

Advanced Usage

• "to be assigned a minder": To be given an official escort/observer, often implying a lack of trust or freedom.
  • All foreign delegates were assigned a minder for the duration of the conference.
• "to shake off one's minder": To evade or escape from the person monitoring you.
  • The reporter managed to shake off her minder and speak to the protesters directly.

Variants and Related Words

• Mind (verb): To look after or be careful of.
• Childminder (noun): A person, often professionally registered, who looks after children in their own home. (This is a common compound form specifically for childcare).
• Bodyguard (noun): A person employed to protect an individual from physical attack. (More focused on physical security than general supervision).

Synonyms

• For childcare: Nanny, babysitter, childcarer, guardian.
• For state escort: Escort, chaperone, monitor, watchdog, overseer.

Related Phrases

• To keep an eye on someone: To watch someone carefully. (This is the general action a minder performs).
  • The teacher asked me to keep an eye on the new student.
• To babysit someone/something (informal, extended meaning): To watch over or supervise.
  • Can you babysit this project while I'm on vacation?

Học thuật

Noun

1. a person who looks after babies (usually in the person's own home) while the babys' parents are working
2. someone (usually in totalitarian countries) who is assigned to watch over foreign visitors
   • I turned around and there, a few hundred feet away, was our government minder, Li Wong Su, huffing and puffing toward us

Từ đồng nghĩa

• babyminder
• baby minder