babysit

1. (ambitransitive) To watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money.Examples: "My daughter is babysitting for the Morgans at number ten, who are going out on a date night."; "We need someone to babysit our children while we go to the theater."; "Bart eventually gets Laura to babysit while Homer and Marge eat at the Sea Captain’s all-you-can-eat seafood joint, The Frying Dutchman."Synonyms: childsitambitransitive

2. (transitive, informal) To watch or tend a thing or process without normally intervening in it, e.g. as a precaution should an emergency happen.Examples: "The reaction takes several hours, so we leave a graduate student to babysit it."informaltransitive

3. (transitive, informal) To watch or attend anything or anyone more closely than ought to be needed; to have to help or coax too much.Examples: "He left me to babysit the new guy while he got some work done."; "It was observed by the FBI personnel assigned to “babysit” agent Tricycle that his egregiously excessive spending was causing unwanted attention […]"Synonyms: coddleinformaltransitive