noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkɛəɹə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/ˈkɛɹɚ/General American, Mary–marry–merry merger
General-American:/ˈkeɹɚ/without the Mary–marry–merry merger
General-American:/ˈkɛəɹɚ/without the Mary–marry–merry merger
Australian:/ˈkeːɹə/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/kiəɹə/New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
New-Zealand:/keəɹə/without the cheer–chair merger
Scotland:/keɹəɹ/
/kɜːɹə(ɹ)/Lancashire, fair–fur merger
rhymes with -ɛəɹə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:K EH1 R ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Someone who regularly looks after another person, either as a job or often through family responsibilities.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK
Examples
Have you thought of a job as a carer for disabled people?
They retired early to be a full-time carer for their partner.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: caregiver
Antonyms: caree
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh2r-der. Proto-Germanic *karō Proto-West Germanic *karu Old English caru Middle English care English care Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English carer From care + -er.
Across languages
Translations
45 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مُقَدِّم الرِّعايَة
(muqaddim ar-riʕāya)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Chinese Mandarin:
照顧者 /照顾者
(zhàogùzhě)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Chinese Mandarin:
照料人
(zhàoliàorén)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Chinese Mandarin:
護理人員 /护理人员
(hùlǐ rényuán)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Chinese Mandarin:
私人看護 /私人看护
(sīrén kānhù)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Chinese Mandarin:
監護工 /监护工
(jiānhùgōng)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Czech:
pečovatel
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Czech:
pečovatelka
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Danish:
plejer
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Danish:
omsorgsperson
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Dutch:
verzorger
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Esperanto:
zorganto
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Finnish:
hoitaja
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Finnish:
omaishoitaja
— someone who regularly looks after another person
French:
soignant
— someone who regularly looks after another person
French:
soignante
— someone who regularly looks after another person
German:
Betreuer
— someone who regularly looks after another person
German:
Betreuerin
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Hindi:
देखभालकर्ता
(dekhbhālkartā)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Irish:
cúramóir
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Irish:
banchúramóir
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Japanese:
介護者
(kaigosha)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Japanese:
ホームヘルパー
(hōmu herupā)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Japanese:
世話をする人
(sewa o suru hito)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Korean:
간병인
(ganbyeong'in)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Korean:
돌보는 사람
(dolboneun saram)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Latvian:
aprūpētājs
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Māori:
kaitiaki
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Norwegian Bokmål:
støttekontakt
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Polish:
opiekun
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Polish:
opiekunka
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Portuguese:
cuidador
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Romanian:
îngrijitor
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Romanian:
îngrijitoare
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Russian:
сиде́лка
(sidélka)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Russian:
ня́ня
(njánja)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Russian:
ня́нька
(njánʹka)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Russian:
медсестра́
(medsestrá)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Russian:
медбра́т
(medbrát)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Russian:
тот, кто уха́живает
(tot, kto uxáživajet)
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Serbo-Croatian:
skrbnik
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Serbo-Croatian:
staratelj
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Serbo-Croatian:
njegovatelj
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Spanish:
cuidador
— someone who regularly looks after another person
Vietnamese:
người chăm sóc
— someone who regularly looks after another person
