babysit for

babysit for (someone)

1. To watch another person's child or children. In this usage, the child is listed after "for." Julia will babysit for the kids on Saturday. Any chance you can babysit for Justin while I'm at parent-teacher conferences? Your sitter canceled? Don't worry, I can babysit for the kids tonight, that's not a problem.
2. To help another person by watching their child. In this usage, the person being helped is listed after "for," and a noun or pronoun can be used between "babysit" and "for." Can you babysit for us tonight? Dave's company is having a work event that we have to go to. I got one of the neighbors to babysit Charlotte for me so I could come to the party. Nah, we ended up staying home—our sitter canceled at the last minute, and we couldn't find anyone else to babysit for us.
See also: babysit, for
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

babysit for someone

 and babysit (with) someone 
1. to attend and care for a child for a period of time. I'm looking for someone to babysit for my cousin. Will you babysit with my cousin?
2. to attend and care for a child for someone for a short period of time. Would you mind babysitting Roger for me for a few minutes? Sure, I will babysit for you.
See also: babysit, for
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
On being asked about the gift she'd choose for the wedding, she revealed that she would babysit for them.
Julia Roberts offers to babysit for Brangelina
He is persuaded to babysit for next-door neighbour Mrs Pedulla (Erin Daniels), taking charge of her three dysfunctional kids: wild child Blithe (Landry Bender), adopted son Rodrigo (Kevin Hernandez) and the enigmatic Slater (Max Records).
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Under existing rules, people who babysit for more than two hours at a time, or on more than 14 days per year, should be registered if there is a "reward" such as money or free baby-sitting.
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When people found themselves unable to satisfy their demand for coupons, they could have offered to babysit for fewer coupons.
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Now, I don't want to babysit for my aunt but she gives me pounds 10 and if I tell anyone why, there will be a fight.
I don't want to babysit again after cousin kissed me
'We've asked friends, and offered to babysit for them, but somehow it doesn't always work out because everyone is so busy.'
Member families take turns to babysit for one another, and to ensure that everyone gets out what they put in, families exchange tokens when they babysit.
Health: Manna from heaven; Spending time alone away from the chaos of home is essential if parents are to have any hope of holding on to their sanity. But finding a reliable babysitter is no mean feat as Louise Palfreyman can testify
The victim, now aged 25, claimed he used to babysit for Chick and would stay at the family home overnight, when Chick would abuse him.
Rape trial jury to retire
If so, say, "I'll be glad to babysit for you," or "the next time you need a babysitter, call me." Then tell her your phone number.
My best friend always gets a babysitting job. No one ever asks me. What can I do?
"On weekends I babysit for the children of neighboring families," she says almost apologetically.
Day-care disgrace
Soon afterwards Charlie would babysit for Alfred's three children to earn extra money.
I BABYSAT JILL'S KILLER
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