babysit

American  

[bey-bee-sit] / ˈbeɪ biˌsɪt /

Or baby-sit

verb (used without object)

babysat, babysitting

1. to take charge of a child while the parents are temporarily away.

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verb (used with object)

babysat, babysitting

1. to take watchful responsibility for (a child).

   We're looking for someone to babysit the kids in the evening.

2. to take watchful responsibility for; tend.

   It will be necessary for someone to babysit the machine until it is running properly.

Other Word Forms

• baby-sitter noun
• babysitter noun

Etymology

Origin of babysit

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Social media posts show users "raising" their rice cakes, complaining about being at home to babysit, and dubbing them their new pets.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

And further I suspect the newlyweds just want us on the trip to babysit my mother-in-law.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025

We were so out of control that a lot of older kids’ parents didn’t allow them to babysit us.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

She is happy to babysit during her holidays to help with childcare costs and said there were other bonuses.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

Moreover, from the way he worked them he’d no doubt consider it a waste of their time to babysit a rookie.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo