Baby-sit
to take charge of a child while the parents are temporarily away.
to baby-sit for (a child):
We’ve placed an ad for someone to baby-sit the youngsters in the evening.
to take watchful responsibility for; tend:
It will be necessary for someone to baby-sit the machine until it is running properly.
Contemporary Examples
She often left Caylee with her mother, who was willing to baby-sit.
In the Jury’s Hands Diane Dimond July 3, 2011
verb -sits, -sitting, -sat
(intransitive) to act or work as a baby-sitter
verb
To attend and care for a child, or by extension, for anyone or anything: Which is why she has one of us baby-sitting twenty-four hours a day (1940s+)
To be a guide and companion to someone undergoing a psychedelic drug experience
[1960s+ narcotics; back formation from baby-sitter, ”nursemaid, nanny,” attested before 1940]
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