babysit
/ˈbeɪbisɪt/
VERB
1. To care for and supervise children temporarily
To take responsibility for watching, protecting, and caring for someone else's child for a limited period, usually while the parents or regular caregivers are away.
1.1. Childcare and temporary supervision
Used when someone temporarily looks after another person's children, ensuring their safety, attending to their needs, and supervising their activities while their parents are absent.
Synonyms
- mind
- watch
- attend
- tend
- chaperone
- chaperon
- look after
- care for
- take care of
- mother
Antonyms
Examples
- She agreed to babysit for her neighbor while they attended a special event.
- The responsible teenager was trusted to babysit her younger siblings during the evening.
- The couple decided to go out for a date night and hired a reliable friend to babysit their children.
- The experienced caregiver offered to babysit for the busy parents who needed some time off.
Related Words
- babysitter
- childcare
- childminder
- nanny
- caregiver
- guardian
- supervision
- parenting
- child-rearing
- daycare
VERB
2. To supervise or assist someone excessively
To watch, manage, or attend to someone or something with unnecessary closeness, often providing excessive assistance, guidance, or control when independent action would be appropriate.
2.1. Micromanagement and excessive supervision
Used figuratively when someone constantly monitors, directs, or controls another person's activities instead of allowing them to work or make decisions independently.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
- The manager babysat every employee throughout the project instead of allowing them to work independently.
- The experienced team resented being babysat by a supervisor who constantly checked their progress.
- He had to babysit the entire operation because his assistants were unable to make decisions without his help.
Related Words
- micromanagement
- oversight
- monitoring
- interference
- overprotection
- supervision
- autonomy
- independence
- self-management
2.2. Excessive assistance and hand-holding
Used when someone must repeatedly guide, encourage, or coax another person through tasks that they should reasonably be able to handle themselves.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
- The teacher was tired of having to babysit students who refused to complete their assignments without constant encouragement.
- She had to babysit the new employee through every step of the routine process.
- The project leader did not want to babysit the team members who were capable of handling their own responsibilities.
Related Words
- hand-holding
- coaxing
- assistance
- dependency
- incompetence
- initiative
- self-reliance
- responsibility