day care

[ dey-kair ]
See synonyms for day care on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. supervised daytime care for preschool children, the elderly, or those with chronic disabilities, usually provided at a center outside the home: Finding quality day care that we can afford has been challenging.

adjectiveday·care or day-care .
  1. of, relating to, or providing day care: daycare center;day-care program.

Origin of day care

1
First recorded in 1895–1900 for noun, and 1940–45 for adjective

Words Nearby day care

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use day care in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for daycare

daycare

/ (ˈdeɪˌkɛə) /


nounsocial welfare
  1. British occupation, treatment, or supervision during the working day for people who might be at risk if left on their own, or whose usual carers need daytime relief

  2. British welfare services provided by a local authority, health service, or voluntary body during the day: Compare residential care

  1. NZ short for daycare centre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012