Synonyms and antonyms of Adoption and caring for other people's children in American Thesaurus

adopt (verb)

to take someone else’s child into your family and legally make him or her your own child

adopted (adjective)

legally made a part of a family that is not your original family

adopter (noun)

someone who adopts a child

adoption (noun)

the process of making a child legally part of your family, or an instance of this

adoption agency (noun)

an organization or business that helps find children for people to adopt

adoptive (adjective)

adoptive parents are people who have adopted a child

au pair (noun)

someone, especially a young woman, who lives with a family in a foreign country and helps with the children and housework in exchange for the opportunity to learn the language

babysit (verb)

to take care of children in their home while their parents are not there, especially in the evening

babysitter (noun)

someone you pay to come to your house and take care of your children while you are not there, especially in the evening

babysitter (noun)

American someone whose job is to take care of other people’s children while they are at work. The British word is childminder

care (noun)

in the U.K., the system in which local government takes care of children whose parents are either dead or not able to take care of them themselves

care order (noun)

a legal arrangement in the U.K. for the local Social Services to take care of a child instead of the child’s parents

chaperon (noun)

American a parent or teacher who goes to a school dance or other event to help to take care of the students

childcare (noun)

the job of taking care of children, especially while their parents are working

crèche (noun)

British a place where babies and small children are taken care of while their parents are busy

day care (noun)

care given to young children while their parents are at work by people who are trained to take care of children. The place where this care is given is called a day care center.

foster (verb)

to take care of a child as part of your family for a period of time because the child’s parents cannot take care of them

foster (adjective)

relating to fostering a child. A child who is taken care of in someone else’s home for a period of time is called a foster child, and the people who take care of the child are called foster parents

guardian (noun)

someone who is legally responsible for another person such as a child whose parents have died

houseparent (noun)

an adult who is responsible for students or other young people who are living together in a place without their own parents

in loco parentis (adverb)

if an adult acts in loco parentis to a child who is not their child, they take responsibility for looking after that child

looked-after (adjective)

British used to describe children who are cared for by a government organization because their parents are either dead or not able to look after them themselves

nanny (noun)

a woman whose job is to take care of someone else’s children. A nanny usually lives with the family that she works for.

nurse (noun)

old-fashioned a woman whose job is to take care of a young child

nursemaid (noun)

old-fashioned a woman whose job is to take care of someone’s children in their home

sit (verb)

informal to babysit

sitter (noun)

informal a babysitter

ward (noun)

legal someone, especially a child, who is officially being looked after by a court of law or by someone who is not their parents. The person who looks after them is their guardian

watch (verb)

to take care of a child, an animal, or someone’s property for a short time and make sure that nothing harms it