babysitter
n. countablen. someone who looks after children for a short time while the parents are out. You usually pay this person for their time.
n. a person engaged to care for children temporarily in the absence of their parents.
We need to find a babysitter for Friday night.
The teenager next door earns extra money working as a babysitter for several families on our street.
Reliable childcare is often difficult to secure on short notice, leading many parents to maintain a list of trusted babysitters who can step in during emergencies.
From baby + sitter.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Usage
Often used with the verb 'to hire' or 'to find'.
- Verbbabysit
- Nounbabysitter
Last updated May 7, 2026