take care
idiomatic phrase
1
: to be careful or watchful : to exercise caution or prudence
Because fish is more delicate than beef, take care when pounding it thin.—
Sam Gugino
Sam GuginoPatients also should take care in storing their drugs because heat exposure could affect their efficacy, [Aaron] Bernstein says.—Marlene Cimons
—often used informally to express good wishes when parting, at the end of a message, etc.Marlene CimonsI'll see you next week. Take care!
2
: to give particular attention to doing or not doing something
When he had finished writing, Cluny pushed the parchment under his pillow, taking care to leave just a small corner of it jutting out.—Brian Jacques
Brian JacquesIn this land of ritual, Westerners should take care to inform themselves of protocol.—Jeff Morgan
Jeff MorganOpen oysters carefully just before they are required, taking care not to spill the liquor in their deep shells.—Elizabeth Craig
see also take care of
Elizabeth CraigExamples of take care in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And when there’s an overdose at sea, fishermen have to take care of one another.
—C.j. Chivers Rachel Poser Joseph Bernstein David Marchese Kwame Anthony Appiah Kwame Anthony Appiah Peter C. Baker Ligaya Mishan Sarah Khan Lisa Sanders, M.d. John Hodgman, New York Times, 7 June 2024
Laura was close to leaving Lentz and taking care of her children on her own.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 7 June 2024
There were also other developments that were going to aid them in their ability to take care of wounded soldiers.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
While Astrid took care of the affairs at home in Omaha and accompanied Warren to dinners and outings, Susan remained his partner in other affairs.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for take care 
C.j. Chivers Rachel Poser Joseph Bernstein David Marchese Kwame Anthony Appiah Kwame Anthony Appiah Peter C. Baker Ligaya Mishan Sarah Khan Lisa Sanders, M.d. John Hodgman, New York Times, 7 June 2024
Laura was close to leaving Lentz and taking care of her children on her own.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 7 June 2024
There were also other developments that were going to aid them in their ability to take care of wounded soldiers.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
While Astrid took care of the affairs at home in Omaha and accompanied Warren to dinners and outings, Susan remained his partner in other affairs.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for take care
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take care.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near take care
Cite this Entry
“Take care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20care. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
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